Shimla, Aug 31 : With rain-battered Himachal Pradesh again witnessing heavy to very heavy rain, 822 roads and three national highways were blocked on Sunday, impacting hundreds of stranded motorists.

Besides, 1,236 distribution transformers remained disrupted after torrential rain continued to wreak havoc across Himachal Pradesh.

Weather experts said a massive western disturbance-monsoon axis interaction unfolding over north India for three days starting on Sunday may worsen the flood situation in many areas of the hill state and plains of neighbouring Punjab, which is worst hit by floods. Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal has said the state has been facing the worst floods in 37 years.

According to the Himachal's Emergency Operation Centre, 253 roads are blocked in Chamba, the worst-hit district; followed by Mandi with 207 roads shut, including the National Highway 3; 176 roads, including the National Highway 305, in Kullu district; 61 roads in Kangra district; 39 in Shimla district; and 11 roads blocked in Lahaul and Spiti district, including the National Highway 5.

Out of the total 1,236 distribution transformers, 357 are disrupted in Kullu, 330 in Una, 296 in Chamba, 117 in Mandi, 51 in Solan, 11 in Kinnaur, nine in Lahaul and Spiti, three in Shimla and two in Kangra. Likewise, 424 water supply schemes, including 212 in Kangra, 77 in Chamba, 56 in Mandi, 39 in Kullu, 32 in Shimla and four each in Solan and Hamirpur districts, also remain disrupted, affecting the water supply in many areas of the state.

A total of 166 people lost their lives in Himachal Pradesh in monsoon-related disasters from June 20 to August 30.

The scale of destruction by monsoon rains this time is much higher compared to 2023, said Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday. He conducted an aerial survey of Bharmour, Manimahesh and other disaster-affected areas of Chamba district, besides Fatehpur and Mand area of Indora in Kangra district that were hit with the excess release of water from the Pong dam. He said that due to pre-emptive measures of the government, the loss of human lives this time is comparatively less than the devastation that occurred in 2023.

/IANS