Himachal Rains Highlights: Over 2,000 people rescued in last 3 days; death toll rises to 74

Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Anand Sharma on Wednesday urged the Centre to immediately release an interim relief package for calamity-hit Himachal Pradesh, saying partisan politics has no place in such a situation.

He also requested the Supreme Court to take urgent note of the matter and the NGT to intervene and review the guidelines, mandatory parameters and technology for all future projects cleared in the state. Sharma said a time-bound forensic audit be ordered on the quick and "indiscriminate" approvals and sanctions in cutting of hills and felling of millions of trees and accountability must be fixed at all levels.

In a statement, he said Himachal Pradesh needs the nation's solidarity in this hour of crisis.

Sharma said the people of Himachal Pradesh are suffering due to the unprecedented natural disasters during this year's monsoon. The tragic loss of human lives, livelihoods and the enormous damage to the infrastructure including highways and bridges of strategic importance are overwhelming, Sharma noted.

"Himachal needs nation's solidarity in this hour of crisis. It was the demand and rightful expectation that Union government will sanction a special relief package and stand by the people of Himachal Pradesh. That is the constitutional duty of the Centre.

"The indifferent attitude of the Centre and long delay in announcing the package is most unfortunate and unacceptable. Partisan politics must have no place in such a situation. A robust interim relief package be sanctioned immediately," he said. (PTI)

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s reference to “Bihari architects” while speaking about widespread destruction in the state in an interview to The Indian Express prompted a sharp attack from the opposition on the Congress government.

“I came across the CM’s statement about ‘Bihari architects’. When the state is reeling under a disaster, we can’t fault labourers, mistris. They are here to earn a livelihood. Instead of blaming others, especially the poor, the CM should focus on relief work and devise a mechanism for more scientific development,” Suresh Bhardwaj, the former urban development minister and a senior BJP leader from the state, said. Read More

Himachal Pradesh has been battered by incessant rains, leading to landslides causing the death of several people since early last month. As such, the state government has announced a special relief package for those who suffered losses between July 7 and 15 because of rain-related incidents.

According to the notification from the Himachal government, the amount of relief to cover damages in the aforesaid period has been increased from Rs 6,500 to Rs 1 lakh. Read More

Ashok Guleria, 54, is posted as a head constable in Shimla, after retirement as Lance Naik from the Indian Army. Two years ago he built a house at a cost of Rs 80 lakh in his native village in Mandi district, only to see it turn into a mound of debris on August 14 morning following the landslide that struck Himachal Pradesh.

“It was a three-storey building. In all, I had spent around over Rs 1 crore, including the price of furniture and other equipment,” says Guleria who couldn’t even take out his car as the road outside his house in Tatih village had already caved in. The video of the building collapse has gone viral and the retired Lance Naik says it is quite disturbing to see people watch that video over and over again “but they don’t know the pain behind it”. Read More

With landslides wrecking several parts of the 40-km Parwanoo-Solan stretch of the Kalka-Shimla road along the National Highway 5 following heavy rains last week, geologists and experts said even if there was a pressing need for road widening, the road alignment could have been changed or tunnels constructed.

“The near-vertical cutting (of the mountains) has destabilised the slopes. It does not matter if there is rain or not. Sooner or later, the slopes will want to acquire equilibrium and slide downwards,” said Om Bhargava, Honorary Professor at Panjab University’s Department of Geology and former Director of the Geological Survey of India. Read More

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister on Thursday directed officials to work on a plan to set up more Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) in the state to obtain real-time data related to weather forecasts.

At present, there are 23 AWS stations in several places in the state including Shimla, Dharamshala, Dalhousie and Kufri.

Presiding over a high-level meeting held here late Wednesday evening, Sukhu directed the concerned departments to take appropriate steps to increase the number of AWS and stressed for setting up a weather observatory centre in the state, a statement issued here on Thursday said.

Effective steps should be taken to fortify the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and updated equipment and technology should be provided to them during emergency situations, he said. (PTI)

Shimla SP, Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi says, "We are further planning the line of action. We have to make deep efforts in our rescue and retrieval operations because the impact is so massive. We will try to retrieve the remaining bodies by today evening. Coordinated efforts are being made in this direction. According to the missing report we are suspecting around 7 more people to be stuck here (Summer Hill area)... " (ANI)

Floods wreaked havoc on several villages in Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala districts on Wednesday, triggered by the release of water from Pong Dam. Over 2,700 people were successfully rescued from a dozen villages in the Mukerain and Tanda subdivisions of Hoshiarpur district and Sultanpur Lodhi and Kapurthala subdivisions of Kapurthala district.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Indian Army teams worked tirelessly, evacuating people from waterlogged regions to safer places. The villages, including Haled, Motla, Bela Sariyana, Koliyan in Mukerian, and Poshi Bet, Rampur, and others in Tanda, were severely affected by the sudden inundation of water.

#WATCH | Punjab: On flood-like situation in Gurdaspur area, NDRF Inspector, Sanjay Bisht, says, "I have come here with a team of 24 people for rescue and evacuation...The administration is deputing us where there is a need..." pic.twitter.com/aDA6JeDitI

— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2023

Apprehending potential flooding due to Pong Dam reaching its full capacity on Tuesday evening and to keep heavy inundation at bay, the water level in the dam on Beas River was brought down by 2 feet by releasing 1.36 lakh cusecs of water on Wednesday. On Tuesday, the authorities had released 1.40 lakh cusecs of water downstream to manage the rising water levels.

The dam’s water level had surged by approximately 10 feet in a mere 36 hours between Monday morning and Tuesday evening. However, creating this much space within the dam is projected to take at least 15 days, considering that another 45 days of the rainy season remain. To accommodate this, an outflow of over 1 lakh cusecs of water per day is required to be released from the dam in the coming days.

On Wednesday, the dam’s water level was lowered by 2 feet, settling at 1,397.35 feet. Meanwhile, due to the released water, Punjab's Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur areas were submerged, and around 75 people were shifted to relief areas.

#WATCH | Punjab: Ashwini Gotyal SSP, Batala speaks on Flood-like situation in the Gurdaspur area, says, "Due to the release of water from the Pong dam, large parts of Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur have been inundated...Till now we have rescued almost 75 people to a safer place." (16.08) pic.twitter.com/pViCZs9Gc9

— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2023

Due to a landslide in Langha Jakhan village in Dehradun district, 15 houses and 7 cowsheds have been completely destroyed. No loss of life or animal was reported during the incident. All the affected people have been shifted to relief camps set up in a school in Pachta village. The roads have also caved in due to the landslide.

#WATCH | Uttarakhand: Due to landslide in Langha Jakhan village of Vikasnagar tehsil of Dehradun district, 15 houses and 7 cowsheds have been completely destroyed. 50 people from 16 families live in Jakhan village. No loss of life or animal was reported during the incident. All… pic.twitter.com/0thNopDTk4

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) August 17, 2023

Blaming faulty structural design, indiscriminate construction work and “migrant architects” for the destruction faced by his state this week, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu hinted at tougher building rules in the future. The CM also said the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) should go for more tunnelling instead of widening the roads, and its engineers need to cut the mountains more scientifically.

He also blamed poor drainage for the damage caused to the roads. “Our secretariat is a nine storey building, the building of Advanced Study in Himachal University, Summer Hill, is an eight storey building. There was no technology when these buildings were constructed but structuring was there. We have never heard of these buildings being in danger, ever.”

Read the full story here.

At least 71 people have died in the past three days and 13 are still missing in Himachal Pradesh after devastating rains pounded the state, with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu terming the work of rebuilding infrastructure a "mountain-like challenge".

CM Sukhu said his state will take a year to rebuild the infrastructure wrecked by the heavy rains this monsoon and claimed that the estimated loss in the two devastating spells of heavy rains - this week and in July - is about Rs 10,000 crore.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri has urged the Centre to declare national calamity in Himachal Pradesh and release Rs 2,000 crore for restoration works. (PTI)

The Secretary-Education of the Himachal Pradesh government, Abhishek Jain, today said that the news of the state government declaring August 17 as a holiday is fake. 

"Order being circulated stating that State govt has declared 17th August as holiday for schools/colleges in the state is fake. District Magistrates and SDMs are taking the decision as per situation in their areas," he said. 

Himachal Pradesh has already received 742 mm of rainfall in 54 days of monsoon this year against a season's average of 730 mm it records between June 1 and September 30, a weather official here said on Wednesday.

The rainfall recorded in the state this July broke all records for the month in the last 50 years, Shimla Meteorological Centre Director Surinder Paul said. 

He added that the towns of Manali, Solan, Rohru, Una, Ghamroor, Hamirpur and Keylong broke previous records of rainfall in a single day for the month on July 9 when the state witnessed unprecedented downpours.

Himachal Pradesh received 223 mm of rainfall in four days from July 7 to 10 against an average of 41.6 mm for the corresponding period, Paul said. (PTI)

Himachal CM Sikhvinder Singh Sukhu today informed that more than 1100 people were evacuated from the low-lying villages in the Kangra District using helicopters and motor boats, in view of excessive rainfall in the area. "Numerous migrant laborers who had traveled to Himachal Pradesh from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in search of employment were also safely relocated to secure locations and relief camps. I personally met and heard the people who were displaced by this tragedy," the CM wrote on Twitter.

More than 1100 individuals have been evacuated from low-lying villages in the Kangra District using helicopters and motor boats. Numerous migrant laborers who had traveled to Himachal Pradesh from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in search of employment were also safely relocated to… pic.twitter.com/tlNMwqOXpZ

— Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (@SukhuSukhvinder) August 16, 2023

Two people died and two others were seriously injured after a house in the Helang area of Joshimath town collapsed Wednesday following heavy rain.

On Tuesday night, Joshimath police informed the SDRF that a house near the crusher plant in Helang has been damaged, in which people are likely to be buried. An SDRF rescue team, NDRF and local police reached the spot.

According to SDRF, there were 7 people in the house, of which 4 were buried under the rubble. The teams rescued 3 people by cutting the concrete roofs and sent them to Joshimath CHC for treatment. (Read More)

Fifty-year-old Ritu Loomba of Summer Hill stands with shock in her eyes at the site where a rescue operation is being carried out on Wednesday. With each body being recovered from under the debris of Shimla’s washed away Shiv Bawadi shrine, she recalls how she and her husband had left the temple merely half an hour before the tragedy had struck on Monday.

“My husband, Ashwani Loomba, 52, and I are regular visitors of the temple during the month of Sawan. We prefer to visit the shrine early in the morning because my husband, a Section Officer (SO) at Himachal Pradesh University (Shimla), has to reach office before 9.15 am. On Monday, we had gone to the shrine to pay obeisance around 6 am and had returned by around 6.50 am only to learn about the tragedy around 7.30 am,” Loomba shared with The Indian Express. (Read More)

The excessive rain and resulting landslides in Himachal Pradesh have claimed the lives of 60 people and led to a massive loss of the state’s infrastructure.

CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu laid the blame for the massive damage on the intensity of the rains since Sunday -- saying this was the “first time” about 50 people died in a single day -- and on the lack of “structural designing” in the state.

Buildings obstruct the natural course of water flow at places, and there is little attention paid to designing structures. “The river didn't enter homes, the homes entered the river,” he said.

The CM said climate change could have played a part. It never rained like this before in Lahaul-Spiti, he said, giving an example. (PTI)

Himachal Pradesh will take a year to rebuild the infrastructure wrecked by the heavy rains this monsoon but the state is up to the“mountain-like challenge”, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Wednesday.

The chief minister said it takes time to rebuild roads and water projects. But the government is speeding up the process. “We have to get the infrastructure fully restored within a year. I am working with this in mind.” “It's a big challenge, a mountain-like challenge. But we are not going to back away,” he said.

The state government will continue with its vision to make Himachal Pradesh “self-reliant” in four years and the country's “most prosperous” state in 10 years.“But it will take a year for us to rise from this tragedy,” Sukhu, whose Congress government came to power, last December, said. (PTI)

Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla today said, "The state government is providing all possible help. We are all engaged in providing all possible help at the earliest. SDM has been ordered to cut down the remaining trees to provide protection to the houses. Around 250-300 families are staying in this shelter home and community." 

The rain fury in Himachal Pradesh has claimed the lives of 60 people till now. 

#WATCH | Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla says "The state government is providing all possible help. We are all engaged in providing all possible help at the earliest. SDM has been ordered to cut down the remaining trees to provide protection to the houses. Around… pic.twitter.com/xBUkoax21H

— ANI (@ANI) August 16, 2023

Himachal Minister Vikramaditya Singh today said that there was massive destruction in the Krishnanagar area of Shimla after the landslides. Around 250 families are kept in community centres, he said and also appealed to the tourists to remain cautious when travelling to Himachal.

"Krishnanagar is a heavily populated area and there has been massive destruction here. Around 250 families are kept in community centres. The situation is not very good. National and State Highways are closed. We will appeal to the tourist to remain cautious if they are travelling to Himachal Pradesh. We are putting all possible efforts to restore the roads and infrastructure, " he said. 

Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday conducted an aerial survey of Fatehpur and Indora in Kangra district to assess the situation amid rain fury. 

VIDEO | Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu conducts an aerial survey of Fatehpur and Indora in Kangra district to assess the situation amid rain fury.

(Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/WxD3RmUiDK

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 16, 2023

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— ?????????? ????? - Uttarakhand Police (@uttarakhandcops) August 16, 2023

“We have promptly begun restoration work and opened 90 per cent of the roads so that farmers' produce can reach the market,” Himachal Pradesh minister Sanjay Awasthy told PTI.

VIDEO | “We have promptly begun restoration work and opened 90 per cent of the roads so that farmers' produce can reach the market,” says Himachal Pradesh minister Sanjay Awasthy. pic.twitter.com/d8XNC8gRG7

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 16, 2023

Indian Air Force officials rescue a woman from a flood-hit area in Himachal Pradesh

IAF flood rescue operations continue in Himachal Pradesh. pic.twitter.com/Eu4zRlqD4I

— Man Aman Singh Chhina (@manaman_chhina) August 16, 2023

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu tweeted, "Conducted an aerial survey of Fatehpur and Indora in Kangra district to assess the extent of the calamity's impact.Witnessed the heartbreaking aftermath of the calamity. The strength and resilience of our people in the face of adversity is truly inspiring. We stand united to restore and uplift our beloved communities and Our government remains committed to providing swift relief and support to the affected areas. Together, we will overcome this challenge and rebuild stronger."

Conducted an aerial survey of Fatehpur and Indora in Kangra district to assess the extent of the calamity's impact.Witnessed the heartbreaking aftermath of the calamity. The strength and resilience of our people in the face of adversity is truly inspiring. We stand united to… pic.twitter.com/Zp4cNdACmN

— Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (@SukhuSukhvinder) August 16, 2023

On Wednesday, a total of six teams of National Disaster Relief Force are deployed in Kangra district where many villages in Indora, Fatehpur and Jawalamukhi constituencies were flooded due to the release of excess water by the Pong dam. The Air Force is engaged in airlifting stranded villagers in these areas.

Around 70 pilgrims stranded on the trek route to Madmaheshwar temple in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district were safely evacuated on Wednesday with the help of a helicopter and SDRF personnel, while efforts were underway to rescue over 80 devotees still stuck at the spot, officials said. More than 200 pilgrims got stranded on the route on Monday when a bridge at Bantoli in Gaundar village broke down following heavy rains.

While 52 of them were rescued with the help of ropes by SDRF personnel by Tuesday evening, 70 more were rescued on Wednesday morning in a helicopter, he said. A total of 122 pilgrims have been rescued so far and it is hoped the rest will be rescued by the afternoon, Ukhimath Sub Divisional Magistrate Jitendra Verma said.

If the weather continues to be clear all the pilgrims will be rescued by this afternoon, he said, adding adequate food items have been made available at the Madmaheshwar temple to take care of stranded pilgrims and a medical team besides a police sub-inspector have been deputed at the spot. (PTI)

"The river didn't enter the houses, the houses entered the river. The drainage system of the houses was not managed, we did not pay attention to the structuring. The laws need to be made stronger, and we will soon act on this," Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu told PTI. "The challenge is huge, but we will not step back. We will move ahead and make Himachal Pradesh self-reliant in the next four years and it will become the richest and most prosperous state of India in the next 10 years," he added.

#WATCH | Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu says 'I am on the way to Kangra. We have evacuated over 650 people there. Around 100 people are still trapped in Kangra, rescue operation is underway. Another body has been recovered in Shimla. The state has suffered a loss of… pic.twitter.com/91hNCsQ8yD

— ANI (@ANI) August 16, 2023

VIDEO | "We have already suffered an estimated loss of Rs 10,000 crore. I believe that such a calamity has never occurred (in Himachal Pradesh). I have convened two meeting over the crisis and we will handle the situation," says Himachal Pradesh CM @SukhuSukhvinder as state reels… pic.twitter.com/Wfn3MD4ktx

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 16, 2023

#WATCH | Shimla: DS Rajput 14 NDRF second in command says, "According to information received, we have the proof of 21 victims here. Till yesterday we recovered 12 bodies. Today we got one more body, so 13 bodies have been recovered. We are using specialised equipment other than… pic.twitter.com/ujSWiqEetc

— ANI (@ANI) August 16, 2023

#WATCH | Several houses collapsed in Krishna Nagar area in Himachal Pradesh's Shimla after a landslide took place. Rescue operation underway.

(Video Source: Local; confirmed by Police and administration) pic.twitter.com/qdYvR4C4fx

— ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2023

Army troops rescue civilians marooned in floods in Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh.
Columns of Army also deployed in Gurdaspur district of Punjab for flood relief. pic.twitter.com/oWlGZUTQXS

— Man Aman Singh Chhina (@manaman_chhina) August 16, 2023

"Rescue operations are underway at both places of Summer Hill and Krishna Nagar. So far, 13 bodies have been recovered from Shiv Temple in Summer Hill area, whereas one body and one severed head were found in Krishna Nagar," Deputy Commissioner Shimla Aditya Negi told PTI.

VIDEO | Rescue operation underway after several houses collapsed in a landslide in Krishnanagar locality in Himachal Pradesh's Shimla yesterday. pic.twitter.com/pgD3xDtdul

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 16, 2023

A person was found dead after a house collapsed near subsidence-hit Joshimath in Chamoli district, officials said on Wednesday. According to the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the incident occurred in Helang village on the Badrinath highway between Pipalkoti and Joshimath on Tuesday late evening. Kotwali Joshimath informed the SDRF that a two-storey house built near a crusher unit on the banks of the Alaknanda River had collapsed, with some locals feared trapped under the debris, officials said. (ANI)

#WATCH | Himachal Pradesh: On the massive landslide in the Summer Hill area, SDM Shimla (Urban) Bhanu Gupta says, "Local people have confirmed the count that there can be 21 bodies. Out of which, we have recovered 12 bodies in the last two days. Our search and rescue operation is… https://t.co/sjD6uLAKci pic.twitter.com/ufwSJPe1ue

— ANI (@ANI) August 16, 2023

More than 800 people were evacuated from the low-lying areas of Kangra near the Pong Dam, as their villages became inaccessible due to the elevated water level in the dam reservoir.

Evacuation operation is still on as more people are being evacuated. pic.twitter.com/gtESMDhUnu

— Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (@SukhuSukhvinder) August 16, 2023

VIDEO | Three people were rescued while a few others are still feared trapped under debris after a building collapsed at Helang near subsidence-hit Joshimath in Chamoli district yesterday. Rescue and relief operations are underway.

READ: https://t.co/kAbYOXOVJW pic.twitter.com/0UGOnWA4X8

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 16, 2023