Shimla (The Hawk): In the first week of August, the hill state of Himachal Pradesh in India experienced light to moderate rainfall. The Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Shimla center director, Surender Paul, reported that the state received 30.6mm of rain, which is significantly below the normal level of 68.4mm for that period.
The capital city of Himachal Pradesh, Shimla, faced a rain deficit of 61% during the first week of August. This comes after a record-breaking downpour in July that resulted in widespread havoc across the state. A weakening monsoon system led to a 55% rain deficit in the first week of August.
The district of Lahaul-Spiti, known for its cold desert, recorded the highest rain deficit at 99%, with rainfall almost negligible compared to the normal average of 29.1mm during this period. Other districts also experienced significant rain deficits, with Kullu at 81%, Kinnaur at 79%, and Chamba at 77%.
Despite some isolated places experiencing heavy rainfall on Monday, the IMD predicts the monsoon system will remain weak, with light to moderate rain in most areas until August 10. As of Monday, 186 roads, including National Highway-5, are still closed in the state due to the impact of the heavy rains and floods. The blocked roads in the upper Shimla region have particularly affected Apple transportation.
The state’s natural disasters in the monsoon have resulted in losses amounting to ?6,687.8 crore. The public works department suffered the most significant losses, with ?2,087.70 crore due to damage to vital infrastructure like roads and bridges. The Jal Shakti department and state electricity board also faced losses of ?1,629.81 crore and ?1,505.73 crore, respectively.
