Cloudburst Instigates Flash Flood in Dharamshala, Causing Destruction in the Hill Station
With the arrival of the monsoon, the ecologically unstable Himalayan region witnesses many natural calamities. More recently, a cloudburst in Bhagsu Nag area of Himachal Pradesh’s Dharamshala instigated a flash flood, causing massive destruction.
Several videos have been making rounds on social media, where vehicles are seen being washed away in the deluge of mud water after heavy rainfall, properties being damaged and several landslides.
Image: PTI
The 37-second video footage, shared by news agency ANI, shot from the balcony of a building, demonstrates the horror amid a huge amount of water gushing rapidly through the parked vehicles.
An SUV is seen being swept away by a stream of water on the street but gets blocked by other vehicles that were already bundled together by the flash flood. The shock and fear at the sheer force of nature are clearly heard in the videos.
58 kilometres from Dharamshala, the Kangra district has received heavy rain in the past few days, disrupting life. After the heavy downpour, a brook in Dharamshala’s Bhagsu Nag turned into nothing short of a river. The said brook is a tourist attraction and is surrounded by various rental accommodations, which also reported significant damage after the flood.
The flood washed away cars parked on the roadside and hotel parking, causing upheaval among the tourists staying in the hotels of Dharamshala. It is being linked to the issue of encroachment around Bhagsu water body that constricted the stream and construction on drainage spaces.
धर्मशाला के भागसूनाग में भारी बारिश के बाद बाढ़ जैसे हालात। बारिश के कारण उफान पर आई नदी में बह गई कई गड़ियां। #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/JsDa63JtGu
— डीडी न्यूज़ (@DDNewsHindi) July 12, 2021
Dharamshala receives an average annual rainfall of 1401 mm. State’s Meteorological Department has forecasted that heavy rainfall will continue till July 17. Light to moderate rainfall is very likely to occur in isolated areas of almost all of the districts.
The fragile ecology of these mountainous regions usually experiences various natural disasters during the monsoon season, however, nothing changes. There is a lack of management and various anthropogenic activities create obstacles in the free flow of water, resulting in flash floods each year.
As rains lash down in #Dharamshala shanties of safai karamcharis get washed out by the river in spate. This community has been demanding proper & safe housing for the last 5 years. HP govt & admin is accountable. They should be given immediate relief by providing shelter & food. pic.twitter.com/MfcKRJRZU6
— Endangered Himalaya (@EndangeredHimal) July 12, 2021
Via: Himachal Watcher/TNH
