Himachal Flood-loss Estimated At Rs 5000 Cr, Punjab Suffers Losses Worth Rs 1285 Cr

The Himachal Pradesh government has estimated losses of over Rs 5000 crore due to floods. As per the state government, the tourism industry suffered the maximum blow even as it was still trying to recover the losses due to Covid lockdowns. 

According to HP Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, tourist destinations like Kullu, Manali, Lahaul and Spiti suffered with heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding. "We have seen the worst floods in years and expect losses in excess of Rs 5,000 crore," Sukhu said.

The floods struck at a time when the tourism industry was enthusiastic; in the first half of the year, 1.06 crore tourists visited, which was a record-high turnout. Up to 30 June, the number of visitors exceeded all previous highs in the first six months. This was a massive jump from the nearly 86 lakh tourist footfall recorded for the same time frame last year. 

According to officials, during this time more than 28,000 tourists from abroad and almost a million from within the country visited popular locations like Kullu-Manali, Shimla, Kangra-Dharamshala, Kasauli, Dalhousie, and the tribal areas of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti. However, the excessive rains, which have severely damaged road infrastructure, including national highways and bridges, have made business owners unhappy.

With isolated periods of "very heavy" rainfall predicted over the next 48 hours until the evening of 23 July in the districts of Chamba, Kangra, Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Bilaspur, Solan, and Sirmaur, the state may face some more challenging days. In the upcoming 24 to 48 hours, it's also likely that Una, Hamirpur, Kinnaur, and Lahaul-Spiti districts may suffer significant rainfall.

The weather department issued an orange alert for Saturday, 22 July, stating that "Light to moderate precipitation associated with thunderstorms/lightning is likely to continue in most parts of the state for the subsequent 3 to 4 days." It has issued a warning for 'heavy to very heavy' rainfall, thunderstorms, and lightning in a few isolated locations, which could cause mudslides, flash floods, and landslides in most districts, as well as increase flow into rivers and nullahs.

Punjab Estimates Flood-related Damage at Rs 1285 Crore

According to the Punjab government, the state's flood damage is estimated to be worth Rs 1,285 crore. The state government, in a letter to the Union Ministry of Home on Friday, stated that the figures were based on first estimates and is likely to be amended upward,.

Stating that a total of 1,432 villages were affected severely by floods in 10 districts, the government said that 38 lives were lost and more than 900 houses were damaged.

Punjab Chief Secretary Anurag Verma, in a letter to Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, requested a multi-sectoral rapid assessment central team to the state, which could offer technical assistance to line departments and district administrations for damage, . It is also necessary for determining the precise damage.

Seeking relaxation of norms, the government has stated that it is felt that the rates notified under SDRF guidelines are grossly inadequate to compensate the damage caused by natural disaster of such magnitude.