Rainstorm in Himachal kills 71 people; Shimla schools are closed; CM calls it a "mountain-like challenge"

Himachal Pradesh is now facing a financial loss of 75,000 crore from this year's monsoon due to the persistent rain that caused landslides there, which resulted in the deaths of 71 people in the previous three days. According to the chief minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, it will take at least a year to rebuild the infrastructure that was destroyed by the rain. We have a problem resembling a mountain, the chief minister declared. Tuesday saw a new landslip in Shimla that claimed 2 lives. At Shimla's Krishna Nagar, five to seven homes were destroyed by the landslip.

Shimla's schools are all closed today.
Shima's educational institutions will all be closed on Thursday due to the numerous landslides that have blocked the roadways.

The state government has petitioned the federal government to declare Himachal Pradesh a national catastrophe.

Himachal received more rain than usual for the season.
Up until August, Himachal has already seen above-average precipitation for the season. In contrast to the season's average of 730mm, the state received 742mm of rain over the 54 days of the monsoon this year. The state experienced the highest level of rainfall for a single month in the last 50 years in July, shattering all previous records for the month.

Rain in Himachal Pradesh: The CM blames indiscriminate development
According to the chief minister, who was quoted by Indian Express, the landslides are to be blamed on bad structural design and haphazard construction work done by outside architects who are ignorant of scientific ways of construction in the highlands. The CM said, "Ancient multi-story government buildings are standing tall without ever having faced any danger."

Uttarakhand saw 10 fatalities. flooding and rain
The authorities saved 293 pilgrims who had been stuck on the trek path to the Madmaheshwar shrine in Rudraprayag since Monday, while the Uttarakhand rain fury has already claimed 10 lives.

Six persons at the Night Paradise Camp resort in the Lakshman Jhula area were buried in debris on Monday after Lakshman Jhula was struck by a landslip.

Flooding is worst in Punjab's Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, and Rupnagar.
Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, and Rupnagar in Punjab were submerged as a result of the Bhakra and Pong dams releasing extra water. While the authorities in Rupnagar issued holidays for schools and Anganwadi centres in the affected areas on August 17–18, the Gurdaspur district administration ordered holidays in government and private schools in flood-stricken villages till further orders.