Shimla, Apr 17 (UNI) A strong thunderstorm swept across Himachal Pradesh over the past 24 hours, leaving behind a trail of destruction and widespread disruption.
High-velocity winds ranging between 50 to 100 km per hour, accompanied by lightning and rain, caused massive damage across many districts, affecting normal life, especially in Chamba, Dalhousie, Mandi, Kullu, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Solan and Shimla.
The squall line responsible for this severe weather was around 210 km in length, stretching northeast to southwest and impacting most of the state.
The storm, which hit late last night, uprooted trees and damaged power lines, plunging hundreds of villages and houses into darkness. Districts like Kangra, Badsar, Sujanpur, Una, and Chamba, along with half of Shimla city, remained without electricity since the storm struck.
The wheat crop in the plains and the apple crop in hilly regions such as Shimla, Kullu, and Chamba suffered heavy losses. Mango, plum, apricot, peach, cauliflower, and pea crops were also damaged due to hail and strong winds.
In Kangra, tents set up for wedding ceremonies were blown away, causing panic among locals till 1 am. Gusty winds reached up to 85 to 100 kilometers per hour in some places, toppling plastic water tanks, rooftops, and trees, and severely affecting the state’s transport and communication systems.
In Shimla, water supply was reduced from the routine 42 MLD to 37.44 MLD due to power supply failure. However, according to SJPNL’s Public Relation Officer, Sahil Sharma, routine water supply remains unaffected because of sufficient storage at Dhalli, Sanjauli, and Ridge tanks.
Earlier to thunderstorm Pangi-Udaipur road was also blocked after a flash flood near Jungle Camp Hindi on Wednesday, leaving 66 police personnel, including 29 women constables, stranded. Goverment staff deputed for Himachal Day function struck in the mid way due to inclement weather conditions yesterday.
Three HRTC buses with drivers and conductors also got stuck. The stranded were rescued and shifted safely to Forest Rest House Hindi and the BRO camp. Efforts by the Border Road Organisation to clear the debris and restore the road are still ongoing due to continuous water flow from melting glaciers.
The Indian Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for heavy rain and thunderstorms for April 18 and 19 in districts like Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Shimla, and Lahaul-Spiti. Yellow alert remains in place for other areas. The temperature is expected to fall by 5 to 7 degrees Celsius, before beginning to rise again from April 21.
UNI ML KK