The monsoon has turned Himachal Pradesh into a state under siege. On Sunday evening, the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) confirmed what locals had been living through for weeks: a mounting death toll that has now touched 298 lives lost since June 20, and the crumbling of the very systems that hold daily life together.
Of these deaths, 152 were swallowed by rain-induced disasters, landslides crashing down, flash floods sweeping homes, hill roads collapsing like fragile toys. The other 146 were road accidents, accidents born of slippery curves and roads half-eaten by the earth.
When the Roads Disappear
Movement across Himachal is now less about where you want to go and more about whether the road still exists. As many as 482 roads are blocked, and not just minor ones, two national highways are gone too.
The picturesque Mandi district has become the epicenter of this isolation, with 245 routes cut off. Kullu, famed for its apple orchards and rushing rivers, is walled in with 101 road closures, while Chamba has lost 82 links to the outside world. NH-305 and NH-154A lie under thick blankets of debris, while alternate paths in Balichowki and Kandugad have also surrendered to mudslides. The state, known for its curves, now feels like a labyrinth with no exits.
Power Fades, Darkness Spreads
As if losing roads wasn’t enough, Himachal’s electric heart has been unplugged. Across districts, 941 transformers lie silent. Mandi once again bears the heaviest brunt, with 477 transformers down. Chamba and Una follow close behind.
These aren’t just statistics; they are homes without light, students without the ability to study after dusk, and hospitals stretched to work without steady power. Landslides haven’t just taken land, they have snatched the poles and wires that once lit the hills.
Water — Scarce in the Land of Rivers
Irony bites hardest when a state blessed with rushing rivers struggles to drink. Ninety-five water supply schemes have collapsed, leaving villages in Mandi and Chamba thirsty, with 36 each crippled in these two districts alone. Kangra, Lahaul & Spiti, and Kullu have their own scars to show.
In the rural belts, women walk farther now, buckets in hand, searching for streams that are safe enough to fill. The sound of rainfall, once welcomed, now feels like a curse.
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A State on Edge
The SDMA has pleaded with residents to stay indoors unless travel is unavoidable. But in a state where roads crumble, power dies, and water runs out, staying still isn’t much of a choice either. Restoration is underway, but officials admit what everyone already knows: if the skies don’t clear, the repairs won’t either.
For now, Himachal is a reminder of how fragile mountain life can be when the rains decide to rage, a land of beauty turned into a battlefield where the opponent is nature itself.
