Chandigarh-Shimla NH Blocked After Landslide at Sanwara

Chandigarh : Heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh has disrupted normal life, with 1,311 roads and six national highways, including the Chandigarh-Shimla NH-5, blocked due to landslides. Traffic on NH-5 was halted at Sanwara in Kasauli tehsil, Solan district, while the Dharampur-Kasauli road, which branches from the highway, is also at risk, stranding numerous vehicles. Authorities are diverting traffic through alternate routes while restoration work continues.

The State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) reported that other affected highways include NH 3 (Mandi-Dharampur), NH 305 (Aut-Sainj), NH 5 (Old Hindustan-Tibet), NH 21 (Chandigarh-Manali), NH 505 (Khab-Gramphoo), and NH 707 (Hatkoti-Paonta Sahib). Interior link roads remain blocked, affecting apple producers and supply chains.

Train services on the Shimla-Kalka track were canceled and will remain suspended until further notice. An under-construction house in Anni, Kullu district, was damaged in a landslide, but no casualties were reported as it had been vacated following the 2023 monsoon disaster.

All educational institutions in Shimla, Kangra, Sirmaur, Una, Bilaspur, Chamba, Hamirpur, Lahaul-Spiti, Solan, Banjar, Kullu, and Manali subdivisions remained closed. The SEOC also reported disruptions to 3,263 power transformers and 858 water supply schemes.

The Shimla meteorological office issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall in isolated areas and an orange warning for heavy to very heavy rain in other parts of the state. Authorities are working to evacuate about 5,000 Manimahesh pilgrims stranded in Chamba district; 16 pilgrims have died since the yatra began.

Since the onset of the monsoon, the state has witnessed 95 flash floods, 45 cloudbursts, and 115 major landslides, resulting in 327 deaths, 41 missing, and losses amounting to ₹3,158 crore.