Agriculture Land in Lahaul & Spiti Damaged by Flash Floods in Chandrabhaga River

Flash floods have wreaked havoc on farmland in a village near Chandrabhaga River in the Himachal and Spiti districts of the state. According to the state's emergency operation center, the water levels in the river had risen due to melting snow that had been happening for the past week or so. The villagers have estimated that they've lost around 80,000 rupees so far.

Himachal Pradesh has been facing significant losses this monsoon season, with a cumulative loss of Rs 242.40 crores since the monsoon onset on June 24. As a result of heavy downpours, 60 roads in the state remain closed to vehicular traffic. However, it is expected that around 30 of these roads will be reopened by Friday night.

The local weather department revealed that the hill state experienced 20 percent more rainfall than the normal average for June. Specifically, the state recorded 121.7 mm of rainfall, compared to the average of 101.1 mm.

On June 24, Kataula in the Mandi district received the highest rainfall within a day, measuring 163.3 mm. The weather department attributed this to the influence of four active western disturbances during the month of June, which caused scattered to fairly widespread rainfall across the state.

From June 23 to 26, several districts, including Shimla, Solan, Sirmaur, Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, Bilaspur, Kinnaur, Una, and Hamirpur, experienced heavy to very heavy rainfall. Monsoon arrived in most parts of Himachal Pradesh on June 24.

Comparing historical data, the highest rainfall in June was recorded in 2013 with 241 mm, representing a 143 percent excess. In contrast, the lowest rainfall occurred in 2012 with only 28.8 mm, indicating a 71 percent deficit.

Recent light rains were observed in certain areas of the state, with Palampur receiving 41 mm of rain, followed by Sundernagar with 21.5 mm, Mandi with 19 mm, Berthin with 16.5 mm, and Chhaila with 16 mm.