Himachal floods: Malana dam overflows, trouble for Kullu

Trouble mounts for Kullu due to heavy rainfall in the upper areas of Himachal Pradesh. The Malana dam overflows leading to chaos and panic. The dam of the Malana-ll hydropower project triggered panic due to overflowing in the area. According to information provided by the government, the dam was overflowing due to malfunctioning and technical teams are trying to fix the problem to open the gates of the dam. Meanwhile, the government has also issued an advisory asking people to stay away from the banks of the Parvati River. The deputy commissioner issued an advisory to locals as well to prepare for the evacuation if the situation turned worst. Teams of police and administration are continuously sounding alert in the low-lying areas of Parvati Valley that the water level of Parvati may rise, and people should prepare themselves for evacuations.

Though Kullu is the worst affected area in the state of Himachal Pradesh due to floods. Even still 120 roads remain disconnected in Kullu and restoration work is underway at several places. The Malana dam is located in the village Malana nearby Kasol in Parvati Valley. The overflowing water is contributing to the water level in Parvati River which is merging with Beas at Bhuntar in Kullu.

DC Kullu Ashutosh Garg informed Republic and said, "The water in Malana dam is overflowing and we have sounded the alert to the residents residing nearby Parvati River to stay away from the riverbank as the water level can anytime rise. Meanwhile, several teams deployed on the ground to prepare people for the evacuation in the worst situation. We have sent the experts to fix the problem in the dam so that the gates of the dam can open to release the water."

600 roads including NH closed in Himachal

Himachal is facing a connectivity crisis due to floods as 600 roads including NHs still closed. 250 roads closed in Shimla, 120 in kullu, 66 in Chamba, and 51 in Mandi. The National Highway leading to Manali has been through till kalath which is at a distance of around 10 km from Manali.