SHIMLA: Search and rescue operations are underway with drones and sniffer dogs being used to trace 30 people who went missing after cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides wreaked havoc in the Thunag, Gohar and Karsog subdivisions of Mandi district last week, officials said on Monday.
About 250 personnel from the National and State Disaster Response Forces, Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Home Guards, along with the administration and locals, are undertaking the search and rescue work.
Besides, 20 teams are gathering information and distributing ration and medical kits in inaccessible areas, officials said.
So far, 1,538 ration kits have been distributed to the affected people and immediate relief of Rs 12.44 lakh has been provided.
An additional Rs 5 lakh each is being sent to the Thunag and Janjheli areas, they added.
About 225 houses, seven shops, 243 cattle sheds, 31 vehicles, 14 bridges and several roads were damaged in the disaster.
A total of 215 cattle have perished, while 494 people have been rescued, as per the latest report.
Till Sunday evening, 243 roads were closed in the state, of which 183 are in Mandi district alone.
Additionally, 241 transformers and 278 water supply schemes were affected in Himachal Pradesh, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), the officials said.
In Talwara village, a ten-month-old infant remains the sole survivor as her father was found dead, while her mother and grandmother remain untraceable.
31-year-old Ramesh Kumar, father of the infant Nikita, was out of his house when the floodwaters reached his home on Tuesday. His body was found in the debris during rescue operations.
Shortly after he was washed away by the flood, his wife Radha Devi (24) and mother Purnu Devi (59) went out in search of him; both women are still missing.
The infant, Nikita, was asleep inside the house.
Their neighbour, Prem Singh, spotted the crying child and took the infant to Ramesh's cousin, Balwant, a personal security officer of former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.
"The baby is with us," Balwant said, adding that though they have received many adoption offers in the past few days, they will not give her up and that they will raise her themselves. The child's paternal aunt Tara Devi is currently taking care of her, he said.
Many people, moved by Nikita’s story, had contacted the local administration expressing interest in adopting her.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that disasters pose the biggest challenges for the future and combating the adverse effects of climate change was a pressing concern for humanity.
While presiding over the 9th meeting of the State Disaster Management Authority, he expressed serious concern over the rising incidents of cloud bursts in the State and said that the matter was also raised with the Union Home Minister.
Sukhu said that over the past few days Mandi district recorded 123 percent excess rains, causing a widespread devastation in the district whereas Shimla district, got 105 percent excess rainfall.
He said that recently 19 cloud bursts have occurred causing significant losses to human lives and properties. He said that unscientific muck dumping was leading to damages and stressed on a scientific mechanism for its disposal to prevent further damages.
Sukhu directed the SDMA to issue regular weather updates to the public and to counter misinformation circulating in social media. He said that safe construction activities should be promoted and people must construct their houses at least 100 meters away from the rivers and rivulets and directed the government departments to set up their projects at least 100 meters away from the water streams to minimise the losses.
The State Institute of Disaster Management would be established at Dr. Manmohan Singh Himachal Institute of Public Administration, Shimla while Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla would carry out research and development work. He also directed to conduct a study on high risk glacial lakes and rope in the local community to raise awareness.
Meanwhile, light to moderate rain lashed parts of the state.
Nangal Dam received 56 mm of rain, followed by Olinda (46 mm), Berthin (44.6 mm), Una (43 mm), Naina Devi (36.4 mm), Gohar (29 mm) and Brahmani (28.4 mm).
The local Met office has issued a yellow warning of heavy rain at isolated places in the state till July 10 (Thursday).
The estimated losses due to the rains so far stand at around Rs 572 crore, as per the SEOC, though the chief minister maintained the figure was close to Rs 700 crore as data was still being compiled.
Since the onset of the monsoon on June 20, the state has reported 78 deaths, of which 50 were linked to rain-related incidents such as cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides.
As many as 121 people have sustained injuries so far.
