HP grapples with cloudbursts, UP faces waterlogging
Shimla/Lucknow: Relentless monsoon rains over the past 24 hours have caused widespread disruption across Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, triggering flash floods, cloudbursts, landslides, and severe waterlogging in several districts, officials said on Thursday.
In Himachal Pradesh, 472 roads — including key stretches of NH-305 and NH-505 — remain closed, with the highest closures in Mandi (162), Shimla (99), Kullu (74), and Sirmaur (66). Since Wednesday evening, the state has recorded three cloudbursts, three flash floods, four floods, and two landslides.
A 20-year-old woman died after being hit by a boulder in Rampur, while another person is missing after being swept away in the Parvati river. In Kinnaur, flash floods in Hojo Nallah destroyed vehicles, a bridge, and equipment, prompting rescue operations by the Army. Landslides in Sirmaur’s Rajgarh killed four cattle and injured one person.
Educational institutions in Shimla’s Jubbal subdivision have been closed, and water supply to the state capital has been severely hit due to damaged pumping stations. The Yamuna and its tributaries in Paonta Sahib are flowing at danger levels, with activities along riverbanks banned. Power and water supply have been disrupted in hundreds of locations.
In Uttar Pradesh, intermittent heavy showers have inundated parts of Lucknow, Hathras, Hardoi, and Sambhal. The Met Department has issued heavy rain alerts for 23 districts, with over 500 villages waterlogged and 11 districts battling floods.
In Lucknow, the KGMU Trauma Centre compound and even the Assembly complex were submerged, while a road cave-in in Aliganj forced emergency repairs. Schools up to Class 12 were closed in the city. In Sambhal, the Ganga breached an embankment, cutting off 20 villages and destroying crops.
The State Disaster Management Authority said relief efforts are ongoing, though locals in some villages allege slow supply distribution. The Met Office has warned of more intense rainfall over eastern and central UP in the next 24 hours, urging residents in low-lying areas to move to safer ground.
