NDRF Rescues 51 Stranded People From Cloud Burst Incident Sites In Mandi Amid Yellow Alert In Himachal Pradesh

As Himachal Pradesh continues to struggle with the havoc wreaked by the incessant rainfall, the IMD has issued a yellow alert in the hill state.

Image credit: ANI

Mandi: The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on Thursday rescued 51 people who were stranded in cloud burst incident sites at Shehnu Gouni and Kholanala villages in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, said authorities. The Himalayan state has reported widespread destruction and deaths due to heavy rains, landslides and cloudbursts reported from different parts of the state.

Meanwhile, several houses collapsed after a massive landslide struck Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district on Thursday. Officials said 2,237 hoses have been fully damaged and 9,924 houses have been damaged partially. They said 300 shops and 4783 cow sheds have been damaged.

#WATCH | 14th Bn NDRF rescued 51 stranded people from cloud burst incident sites yesterday in Shehnu Gouni & Kholanala village in Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh. pic.twitter.com/ngNn1OHpJO

— ANI (@ANI) August 25, 2023

Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur on Thursday visited landslide-affected areas of Kuklah in Mandi district and urged the state Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to arrange rations for the people living in these areas.

"Keeping in view the huge loss due to heavy rainfall in the state, I have visited my constituency. A two-storeyed school building collapsed today and almost all houses have become unsafe as they have developed cracks. Around six people have lost their lives in one day," Former HP CM said. 

"Since there is no connectivity to these areas, there is an acute shortage of food here, I requested the CM to arrange rations for the people living in these areas," he urged. The Himalayan state has reported widespread destruction and deaths due to heavy rains, landslides and cloudbursts reported from different parts of the state.

Explaining the causes of the devastation caused in Himachal Pradesh, geologist Atul Sharma said that whenever heavy rainfall occurs, the top layer of soil loosens its grip and trees and buildings fall, adding that due to incessant downpour and human intervention, the state has not been able to deal with the Himalayas sensitively.

In a conversation with ANI, Geologist Atul Sharma from the Geological Wing of the Himachal Pradesh government said, "The Indian plate is consistently moving, underthrusting the Eurasian plate...Due to incessant rainfalls and human intervention, we are not able to deal with the Himalayas sensitively. The prolonged rainfalls have played a major role...The unavailability of mining permissions in that area is one of the main reasons for this havoc.”

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert in the state on Thursday and Friday. "There is a possibility of heavy rainfall in parts of the districts of Solan, Shimla, Sirmaur, Mandi, Kullu, Una, Bilaspur and Kangra. We have issued a yellow alert for 24 and 25 August...," IMD Scientist Sandeep Kumar Sharma said.