What It Means For The State News24 –
The Himachal Pradesh government has declared the state disaster-affected after heavy rains triggered cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides over the past few days. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the state has suffered heavy losses worth Rs 3,056 crore.
Sukhu said, “What former CM Shanta Kumar ji has said about a special relief package of Rs 20,000 crore for the state is very important. I thank him for it. I have requested our MPs to ask for a special relief package for the state from govt. The BJP should not engage in politics on this…Today, Himachal Pradesh is seeing the consequences of climate change.I advise people who are coming to the state not to venture near rivers and nallas…We will ascertain the losses after the rains end.”
What does a disaster-hit state mean?
The disaster-hit state receives financial assistance, logistic assistance and a priority for rescue and relief operations. The central government teams visit the spots and access the damage on the ground.
Earlier, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) constituted Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) for Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir to assess the damage caused by heavy rainfall, floods, flash floods, cloudbursts, and landslides.
In a statement, the Ministry said that these teams will conduct on-the-spot assessments of the situation and review the relief work carried out by the respective State Governments.
The Central Teams will visit the flood and landslide-affected districts of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir.
Each team will be led by a senior officer at the level of Joint Secretary from the MHA or the National Disaster Management Authority and will include senior officers from the Ministries and Departments of Expenditure, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Jal Shakti, Power, Road Transport and Highways, and Rural Development.
The Ministry also informed that it is in regular contact with senior officers of these States and the Union Territory and has extended all necessary logistical assistance.
Continuous heavy rains over the past few weeks have thrown life out of gear in Himachal Pradesh, with the state witnessing one of the heaviest rainfalls in August in more than a century.
According to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), this August, Himachal Pradesh saw 68 per cent more rainfall than normal across the state, making it the 9th-highest August rainfall since 1901 and the highest since 1949.
The IMD data shows that since 1901, only four August months have seen such high rainfall in Himachal Pradesh. This year’s August rainfall ranks as the 9th highest overall for the month since records began, and the highest since 1949.
District-wise, Kullu recorded the maximum excess in August at 165 per cent above normal, followed by Shimla (123 per cent above normal), Una (119 per cent above normal), and several others with similar surpluses. The only exception is Lahaul-Spiti, where rainfall remained below normal this monsoon season.
From June 1 to date, Himachal Pradesh has received 39 per cent above-normal rainfall. In the seasonal tally, Shimla recorded 104 per cent above normal, Kullu 87 per cent above, Solan 70 per cent above, and Una 72 per cent above normal.