A cloudburst occurred in the afternoon near Kotla, a town in the Kangra District situated on the Pathankot Mandi National Highway. As a result, numerous houses were engulfed by water and debris from the hill. The debris obstructed the streets, entering approximately 30 houses, and causing several trees to topple. To ensure the safety of the affected residents, they were promptly relocated to the Community Hall Kotla and the Electricity Office building. Upon receiving reports of the cloudburst, the Naib Tehsildar and the police team swiftly arrived at the scene and facilitated the evacuation of the houses.
It is worth mentioning that heavy rainfall persists not only in Kangra District but also in Shimla and other areas of the state. Landslides are causing significant damage to houses, cowsheds, shops, and roads in various locations. Over 700 roads, including the Chandigarh-Shimla and Chandigarh-Manali four-lane highways, have been closed.
In response to the continuous rainfall over the past two days, the administration in Kangra District remains vigilant. Deputy Commissioner Dr. Nipun Jindal has instructed the Sub-Divisional Officers, Tehsildars, and Naib Tehsildars to remain in the field, ensuring relief and rehabilitation efforts can be carried out efficiently. Dr. Nipun Jindal personally assessed the damage caused by the rains in the Disaster Management Control Room at the district headquarters on Wednesday, providing necessary guidelines for relief and rehabilitation work.DC said that within the last 24 hours, Kangra District has reported damages worth Rs 99 lakh, including the complete destruction of two pacca houses and five kaccha houses, as well as partial damage to eight pacca houses and 43 kaccha houses.
Deputy Commissioner Dr. Nipun Jindal emphasized that the district administration is fully prepared for relief and rehabilitation work, with all officers actively engaged in the field with necessary machinery such as JCB, deployed in the district to address the occurrence of landslides on the roads. Dr. Jindal has emphasized the importance of monitoring the water levels in the Beas River. In this regard, the district administration has reached out to the Pong Dam management to potentially open the dam gates for drainage purposes, if necessary. Dr. Jindal has urged both citizens and tourists to refrain from approaching the riverbanks and drains.
Additionally, he has advised against unnecessary travel during heavy rainfall, encouraging individuals to seek shelter in safe locations. In the event of an emergency, immediate contact with the District Disaster Management Center can be made through the toll-free number 1077. These disaster management centers operate 24/7 in all sub-divisions, including the district headquarters.
Arvind Sharma is an award winning bi-lingual journalist with more than 20 years of experience.
He has worked with Divya Himachal, Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhasker, Vir Partap, Ajit and PTI.
In 2010, he was conferred the Himachal Kesri journalism award. He reports on the Tibetan Government in Exile, politics, sports, tourism and other topics. He lives in Dharamshala.
