SHIMLA, AUGUST 19: With the weather finally breathing easier after days of persistent rain, Himachal Pradesh’s public utility network continues to bear the impact of the spell, with 307 roads blocked, 685 distribution transformers (DTRs) disrupted and 74 drinking-water supply schemes affected across the state as of Wednesday afternoon.
The latest State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) report, compiled at 2 pm on August 19, shows that the road situation has actually worsened marginally from the morning assessment.
The number of blocked roads rose from 279 in the morning to 307 in the afternoon. The report also records one National Highway closed — NH-003.
The scale of disruption is particularly visible in the power sector. 685 DTRs are reported disrupted, leaving several areas without normal electricity supply. Hamirpur accounts for the largest number in the district-wise breakup with 476 disrupted DTRs, followed by Sirmaur with 61, Shimla with 29, Kullu with 2, and Solan with 15.
Chamba, Mandi and Shimla remain road trouble spots
Road connectivity remains the biggest challenge in the hill districts. Chamba has the highest number of blocked roads at 83, spread across almost all its subdivisions.
Mandi follows with at least 14 roads listed in the consolidated district total, while the detailed entries also record additional road disruptions in several subdivisions. Shimla has 28 blocked roads, Sirmaur 18, Kullu 35, Hamirpur 12 and Una five.
The report specifically flags NH-003 between Mandi and Kotli, with Dharampur blocked near Ropru, as the national highway closure.
The disruption is geographically uneven. Bilaspur and Kinnaur report no road, power or water-supply disruption, while Kangra reports six blocked roads but no DTR or water-supply disruption.
Drinking water schemes hit
The drinking-water network has also taken a hit, with 74 water-supply schemes disrupted statewide. Hamirpur accounts for 32 schemes, followed by Sirmaur with 13, Shimla with 17, and Solan with 2.
Chamba has 10 affected schemes, while the report records no disruption in Bilaspur, Kangra, Kinnaur, Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti or Una.
The figures underline that even as the immediate weather threat eases, restoration of basic services remains a substantial task for field agencies.
PWD says the machines are on job for restoration — reopening roads, restoring power and bringing disrupted water schemes back into operation.
