Himachal Pradesh remains in the grip of a devastating monsoon as incessant rains continued to lash the hill state on Monday, triggering massive landslides, cloudbursts, and flash floods that have left the people battered and disconnected from the rest of the country. The fury of nature has once again laid bare the fragility of the state’s infrastructure, with hundreds of roads including key national highways blocked, villages cut off, power disrupted, and homes reduced to rubble.
According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), as many as 400 roads are currently closed, including three national highways. The Shimla-Mandi highway, one of the most crucial arteries of the state, has been rendered unsafe near Tatti-Pani in the Sunni area of Shimla district. Scouring and sliding caused by the swelling Satluj river have reduced the road’s width to just 1.5 metres. Even the alternative route via Thali Bridge has been closed, completely cutting off Karsog from Shimla. In Kullu district, a massive landslide on the Aut-Largi-Sainj road near Pagal Nala snapped road connectivity to nearly 15 villages, leaving residents stranded and helpless.
Reports reveal that heavy rains lashed several regions, with Dhaulakuan recording 113 mm of rainfall since Sunday evening. Other areas such as Jot (70.8 mm), Malraon (70 mm), Palampur (58.7 mm), Jatton Barrage (49.4 mm), and Paonta Sahib (40.6 mm) also witnessed torrential downpours. In Sundernagar and Murari Devi, thunderstorms rattled local communities, while gusty winds swept through Tabo, Reckong Peo, and Kufri at speeds of up to 44 km per hour. The local meteorological office has issued a “yellow warning” for heavy rains at isolated places across the state till August 24, barring August 21.
The havoc is not limited to road blockages. Power supply and water distribution networks have also collapsed under the strain of extreme weather. Officials confirmed that 883 power transformers have been damaged while 122 water supply schemes remain disrupted, adding another layer of hardship for the already struggling residents.
Since the onset of the monsoon on June 20, Himachal Pradesh has suffered damages worth over ₹2,173 crore due to rain-related disasters. The SEOC’s daily report underlines the scale of destruction this year: 74 flash floods, 36 cloudbursts, and 66 major landslides have struck the state. The human toll has been equally grim, with 263 lives lost so far, 37 still missing, and 332 injured. District-wise data shows that Mandi has been the worst-hit with 47 deaths, followed by Kangra (41), Chamba (31), Shimla (26), Kinnaur (24), Kullu (22), Hamirpur and Solan (16 each), Una (14), Bilaspur (10), Sirmaur (9), and Lahaul-Spiti (7).
The images from Mandi and Kullu districts paint a harrowing picture. In Mandi, sudden flash floods brought debris and sludge crashing into homes and shops in Pnarsa, Nagwain, and Takoli areas. Vehicles were buried under mud, crops destroyed, and people left staring at broken walls and flooded courtyards. Local residents described the waters rushing in with such speed and volume that there was no time to salvage belongings. The devastation in vegetable mandis has brought local trade to a standstill, adding to the economic pain.
In Kullu, the Aut-Largi-Sainj road at Pagal Nala became the scene of relentless landslides that severed contact with 15 panchayats. The continuous sliding of hills made travel perilous, and truck drivers carrying vegetables to mandis were left stranded midway. Several families were forced to remain on roadsides, unable to move forward or return.
The disaster is not confined to infrastructure alone. In Chamba district, a young man fell from the Koti bridge on the Sundla-Banikhet main road, plunging nearly 100 metres down into the gorge. Miraculously, he survived after falling near the side of the Chamera Dam waters, and was later rescued and rushed to hospital. The incident, though ending in survival, highlights the dangers ordinary people face while navigating roads weakened and eroded by ceaseless rains.
The meteorological predictions offer little comfort. With a fresh warning of continued heavy rainfall, people in vulnerable regions are living in constant fear of further cloudbursts and slides. Despite frequent advisories, the enormity of the disaster has overwhelmed preparedness mechanisms, and locals are increasingly questioning the state’s ability to safeguard lives and property.
For Himachal Pradesh, this year’s monsoon has been nothing short of a catastrophe. Every district has its own tale of destruction—roads washed away, homes collapsed, shops ruined, and fields buried under silt. More worryingly, the recurring nature of these disasters has triggered a larger debate about the state’s ecological vulnerability, haphazard construction, and the urgency for resilient infrastructure.
As villagers clear mud from their living rooms, families mourn their dead, and stranded travelers wait for roads to reopen, the state grapples with an unfolding tragedy that shows no sign of abating. With more rains forecast in the days ahead, Himachal Pradesh faces not only a humanitarian crisis but also the challenge of rebuilding trust and hope amid despair.
