Himachal Landslide blocks NH 707 more downpour expected

     Shimla, Jul 16 (PTI) A landslide near Shillai in Himachal's Sirmaur district on Wednesday blocked National Highway 707 (Hatkoti to Paonta) as a huge part of the mountain fell, completely blocking vehicular movement.
     Restoration work is underway, but debris falling from the mountain is obstructing the work, officials said. This has led to long queues of vehicles on both sides of the slide.
     Reports of fallen trees obstructing traffic were also reported from Shimla.
     Nearly 200 roads, including NH 707, are closed in the state, with 140 in disaster-hit Mandi district, 27 in Sirmaur and 21 in Kullu. Also, 137 water supply schemes and 47 power distribution transformers were affected as of Wednesday evening, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).
     The local Met office has issued an 'orange' warning of heavy to very heavy rains in isolated parts of the state on July 21 and 22 (Monday and Tuesday) and a 'yellow' warning of heavy rains in isolated areas of one to seven out of 12 districts till July 20.
     Meanwhile, light to moderate rains lashed some parts of the state, with Nahan receiving 44.2 mm of rainfall since Tuesday evening, followed by Kothi, Jatton Barraga and Sarahan, receiving 40 mm each. Dhaulakuan, Dadahu, and Dharamshala recorded 35.5 mm, 30 mm and 17.1 mm, respectively. Manali (17 mm) and Narkanda (15 mm) also experienced rain.
     Since the onset of monsoon on June 20 till July 16, about 109 people have lost their lives, 64 in rain-related incidents and 45 in road accidents, the SEOC said and added that 199 have been injured, while 35 are missing.
     Himachal Pradesh has suffered losses of over Rs 883 crore. The state has witnessed 31 flash floods, 22 cloudbursts, and 18 landslides this monsoon, according to the department.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)