A portion of National Highway-3 in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district was stopped to vehicular traffic on Thursday due to a flash flood caused by a cloudburst, police said.
There have been no casualties reported in the incident that occurred late Wednesday, according to officials.
According to officials, the cloudburst near Anjani Mahadev nullah in Manali disrupted the section of NH-3 between Dhundi and Palchan Bridge, generally known as the Leh-Manali Road.
Vehicles heading to Manali from Lahaul and Spiti via the Atal Tunnel’s north entrance have been redirected to Rohtang, according to a Lahaul and Spiti police advisory issued on Thursday.
It further advised commuters to only travel when absolutely essential, to drive carefully, and to be mindful of potential hazards along the way.
On Wednesday night, 15 routes were halted for vehicular traffic, including 12 in Mandi, two in Kinnaur, and one in Kangra district, while 62 transformers were affected across the state, according to the state emergency operations center.
There have been reports of damage to a power project and a few houses, but officials are still assessing the damage.
On Wednesday, the local Met Office issued a ‘yellow’ signal for heavy rain in isolated areas of Himachal Pradesh for the next four days, until July 28. It warned of damage to plantations and standing crops, as well as fragile structures and ‘kutcha’ dwellings throughout the state, caused by strong winds and waterlogging in low-lying places.
Since the monsoon began on June 27, 49 people have perished in rain-related accidents in the state, which has suffered damages of almost Rs 389 crore, according to the emergency operation centre.