Himachal: Heavy rains flood many parts of Una; roads, infrastructure damaged

Normal life was thrown out of gear as heavy rains throughout the night flooded several areas in Himachal's Una district. Since Friday evening, Una received extremely heavy rainfall measuring 222.8 mm, leading to water accumulation on roads, in markets, and other areas, severely impacting daily life.

The Chandigarh-Dharamshala National Highway has also experienced flooding in places, with water entering some residences, officials said on Saturday.

Local drivers and shopkeepers faced considerable difficulties. Around 10 feet of water flooded homes behind a nearby store, prompting residents to climb onto roofs to seek safety. This flood-like situation has resulted in significant losses for the industrial sector, residential neighbourhoods, and government offices, reports said.

Barnoh village was heavily inundated, with a father and his son, both migrant labourers, trapped near a brick kiln as water flooded the area after the intense rains on Friday night. Other migrant workers were also stranded in various locations due to the flooding.

"Continuous rains over the last 12 hours have caused flooding and road blockages in many areas. In light of the situation, educational institutions have been closed until further notice to ensure the safety of students," Una district magistrate Jatin Lal said.

The district magistrate also directed the heads of concerned institutions to ensure compliance with the orders. He further urged residents to call the district disaster management control cell toll-free number 1077 in case of any emergency and avoid approaching pits and riverbanks.

"The administration is working diligently to clear roads and address waterlogging issues. Instructions have been issued to concerned officials to provide immediate financial assistance to those affected," Lal stated.

Worrisome visuals coming from Malana Power Project Himachal — river in full fury after heavy rain, multiple vehicles washed away! IMD has issued alert for heavy rains in the next 3–4 hours.

Stay safe, stay alert! pic.twitter.com/YahzrpRYAk

— Nikhil saini (@iNikhilsaini) August 1, 2025

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Substantial damage has occurred to development projects as well as government and private properties in various locations, which is currently being assessed. The administrative staff is actively engaged in relief, rescue, restoration, and monitoring efforts.

On Friday, videos emerged on social media of a cofferdam (a watertight enclosure pumped dry to permit construction work below the waterline) at Malana-I Hydropower Project in Kullu district collapsing amid flash floods

The flash floods also swept away heavy machinery, including a hydra crane and dumper truck, though no casualties were reported despite severe damage and rising Parvati river water levels.

While the Beas river and its tributaries are flooded, a section of the bridge over the river near Sujanpur Tira in Hamirpur district has developed cracks. Additionally, the road link between Sujanpur Tira and Khairi near Sandhole has been completely severed owing to rising water levels.

On Saturday, a total of 387 roads — including four national highways: Chandigarh-Manali (NH 21), Manali-Leh (NH 3), Aut-Luhri (NH 305), and Khab-Gramphu (NH 505) — were closed to vehicular traffic in Himachal Pradesh.

Of these 387 roads, a maximum of 187 have been closed in the disaster-hit Mandi district, followed by 69 in Kullu, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).

Additionally, 747 power distribution transformers and 249 water supply schemes have been affected across the state.

Since the onset of the monsoon in Himachal on 20 June, the state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 1,678 crore as of 1 August. So far, 98 people have died and 36 gone missing in rain-related incidents, while 1,526 houses have been fully or partially damaged. The state witnessed 47 flash floods, 28 cloudbursts and 42 major landslides, officials said.

With PTI inputs