Himachal Pradesh / After Uttarakhand, cloudburst in Himachal- ITBP rescues 413 pilgrims

Himachal Pradesh: Monsoon rains have caused heavy destruction in the hilly areas of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Natural disasters like cloudburst, landslides and floods have disrupted normal life. Thousands of people have been affected due to the closure of roads, bridges and railways, while relief and rescue operations are in full swing in many areas.

Flood-like situation due to cloudburst in Kinnaur

Flood-like situation was created in Tangling in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday due to cloudburst. A horrific video of this incident has surfaced, in which a flood of rocks and debris from the mountains is seen falling on the road. This sudden flood badly affected the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra route. Two important bridges on this route were washed away, and the rest of the route was also damaged, due to which the journey had to be stopped. Hundreds of pilgrims were trapped, out of which 413 were rescued by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) with the help of zipline.

A cloudburst also occurred in Raldang Khad near Ribba village of Kinnaur. This led to the closure of National Highway-5, and mud and large stones accumulated on about 150 meters of the road. However, the matter of relief is that no casualties have been reported in this accident.

Landslide on Chandigarh-Manali Highway

A landslide occurred on the Chandigarh-Manali National Highway on Tuesday night. More than 500 roads in Himachal Pradesh have been closed due to large rocks falling on the roads. The situation is so bad in districts like Shimla, Mandi, Solan and Kullu that the administration has declared school holidays.

Huge devastation in Uttarakhand

Along with Himachal, Uttarakhand is also facing the brunt of monsoon. On Tuesday, a cloudburst in Dharali village of Uttarakhand caused heavy devastation. Four people died in this disaster, and more than 50 people are missing. The Badrinath National Highway has been closed due to a mountain collapse in Karnaprayag. Apart from this, rail operations have also come to a halt due to a rock falling on the Haridwar-Dehradun railway route.

Relief and rescue operations continue

The administration and disaster management teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations in both the states. ITBP, NDRF and local police are working day and night to evacuate people stranded in the affected areas and reopen roads. However, heavy rains and frequent landslides have made these tasks more challenging.

Climate change and increasing disasters

Experts believe that incidents of cloudbursts and landslides are increasing in hilly areas due to climate change. Unplanned construction, deforestation and encroachment on the banks of rivers have further increased the impact of these disasters. The government and the local administration need to take long-term measures to deal with these natural disasters, so that the damage caused by such incidents can be reduced in future.