IMD Issues Red, Orange Alerts for Himachal Pradesh for next 24 hours

Himachal Pradesh has been battered by heavy rains over the past few days, triggering landslides, causing power disruption, blocking roads, and damaging bridges. The rains have claimed at least 20 lives and caused an estimated Rs 3,000 crore to Rs 4,000 crore in damage to infrastructure.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for very heavy rainfall in several districts of the hill-state for the next 24 hours. A red alert is the highest level of warning issued by the IMD.

Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jairam Thakur said the state had "not seen such rain in its history" as over 12 major bridges have been damaged.

"We never saw such a situation in the past several years. I am very concerned over the prevailing situation in the state. Several big and small rivers are in spate and if the situation persists over the next few days, there could be further damage," he said.

Tourists were stranded in parts of the hill-state, with the loss of infrastructure estimated at between Rs 3,000 crore and Rs. 4,000 crore.

Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the state has not seen such heavy rains in the last 50 years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday, spoke to the Himachal CM on the prevailing situation, assuring full support from the Centre.

The government has deployed teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to assist in rescue and relief operations.

The rains are expected to continue for the next few days, and the authorities have warned people to be careful and to avoid unnecessary travel.