Yellow Alert in Himachal's 10 Districts, National Highways Closed Due to Landslides

The state of Himachal Pradesh has been witnessing rainfall since Tuesday and it continued on Wednesday morning as well. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted the rainfall. The weather agency had earlier issued a yellow alert of heavy rains in 10 plain and central hill districts of Himachal Pradesh from September 7 to 11. The yellow alert has been issued for Una, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur districts.

There is a forecast of bad weather in the entire state until September 13. According to the Meteorological Center, Shimla, incessant rainfall may lead to landslides in many areas.

Since Wednesday morning, rain has lashed Mandi, Kangra and other areas of the state. The Shimla-Kinnaur highway (NH-5) has been closed again after a massive landslide near Jeori in the Rampur sub-division of the Shimla district.

The Highway was closed on Monday after a 100-m stretch of the highway was damaged and blocked in the landslide. Later, the National Highway Authority Of India and the Public Works Department cleared the boulders and debris from the road.

The services on the Shimla-Kinnaur highway were restored on Tuesday evening and opened for one-way traffic. But on Wednesday morning, it was closed again after large stones fell from the hill. This Shimla-Kinnaur highway connects the mainland with strategic regions along the Chinese border. Commuters who use this highway for daily travel are facing problems.

The Kalka-Shimla National Highway was closed after a portion of the hill crumbled near Kandaghat in Solan district on Tuesday night. A landslide also occurred near the highway at around 9.15 pm. A large number of tourist vehicles, including common people, were stranded due to the halt in the movement of vehicles on the highway.

The authorities have advised the general public and tourists to stay away from rivers and streams, as the water level may rise due to rainfall in the coming days.

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