SHIMLA, Aug 14: — A 20-year-old woman was killed in Shimla district and a man went missing in Kullu as Himachal Pradesh reeled from three cloudbursts that unleashed flash floods, landslides, and widespread damage, officials said Thursday.
The woman died after being struck by a boulder in Rampur subdivision, while the man was swept away in the Parvati river in the Manikaran area of Kullu district. The incidents came after heavy overnight rain triggered cloudbursts at Shrikhand hill in Nirmand (Kullu), Bathad hill in Tirthan Valley’s Banjar subdivision, and Nanti in Rampur late Wednesday, the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) said.
In Shimla district’s Rampur area, road connectivity was snapped to multiple villages — including Ganvi, Kiao, Koot, Kinfi, Kutru, Suru, Roopni, Khanidhar and Kheuncha — as sheds, shops and houses of at least 26 people were damaged. A police post and an electricity department store were also hit. Flooding from Shrikhand hill forced the evacuation of Bagipul market, while kutcha houses on the Tirthan riverbank were damaged and vehicles washed away.
Danger persisted in Karpat village in Lahaul and Spiti district after floods from Karpat, Changut and Udgos Nala in the Mayad valley. In another Rampur incident, a truck skidded off Mandhar-Palyar Road near Juni village and fell into a gorge, but both occupants escaped unhurt.
Landslides and flash floods were reported across the state. In Shimla, the road to Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital was blocked after a landslide damaged two vehicles, and uprooted trees were reported across the city. Around 3 a.m. Thursday, a cloudburst above Khaltunala in Kotkhai unleashed a flash flood that buried more than six vehicles and part of a petrol pump. “The employees at the pump ran for their lives,” an official said.
Kinnaur saw a flash flood at Hojo Nallah in Pooh, sweeping away two campers, a Bolero, a JCB, a tipper and a bailey bridge. Floods in Changreji Khadd and Tashigang damaged irrigation channels and pipelines vital to farmers. In Bathad, at least three houses and several vehicles were swept away, while a flash flood at Kurpan Khad in Baghipul disrupted movement but caused no major damage.
Multiple incidents struck Lahaul and Spiti simultaneously — a flood near Jahalman, a cloudburst at Munni Nallah that blocked roads and damaged a bridge abutment, traffic halted on NH-505 due to flooding near Khurik, and separate floods at Dared and Shakoli Nallah that blocked link roads.
In Sirmaur’s Rajgarh region, a landslide killed four cattle, injured one, damaged a cowshed, and swept a car nearly 100 metres down a slope.
Water supply crisis
Shimla’s drinking water supply, along with more than 130 other water schemes statewide, was disrupted due to heavy rainfall and high turbidity.
Sahil Sharma, spokesperson for Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited, said water levels at Chaba were at booster stage while floodwaters had reached homes near the Gumma pumping stations. “Most areas will face water shortage on Thursday as intake from sources has dropped to negligible levels,” he said. “We don’t maintain large storage reserves. Supply is made simultaneously to balance pressure. With today’s supply suspended, taps could run dry until restoration work is completed.” He urged residents to use water sparingly.
Army rescue in Kinnaur
The army rescued four civilians — one injured — after a flash flood triggered by a cloudburst in the Rishi Dogri valley of Kinnaur on Wednesday evening inundated a bridge across the Sutlej river at a road construction site.
Acting on an urgent request from the superintendent of police, Kinnaur, an army humanitarian assistance and disaster relief team mobilised despite darkness, strong currents and unstable ground. The team used lighting to guide operations, moved the stranded civilians to higher ground and evacuated the injured to Regional Hospital, Reckong Peo.
