Dharamshala: cloudburst triggers flash floods; relief dispatched

Dharamshala: The Friday cloudburst in the Khaniyara locality of Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh triggered flash floods here on Saturday, prompting authorities to dispatch relief workers to step up rehabilitation efforts, PTI reported.

Heavy showers had destroyed many houses and shops in the locality, while around 45 livestock went missing.

The area was visited by the Kangra Deputy Commissioner Nipun Jindal and Superintendent of Police Kushal Sharma to stock the situation.

Jindal said, "After receiving information about the cloudburst in Khaniyara on Friday, an SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) rescue team left for the spot within five minutes. A team headed by Tehsildar Apoorva Sharma was also sent to the site for carrying out relief work in the area."

"The damage caused by the rains is being reviewed, and effective steps are being taken by the district administration to ensure that the affected families do not face any kind of problem," he said.

Jindal added that district and subdistrict level disaster management control rooms were set up to act immediately when alerted about disasters.

Friday's heavy rains made a stream in Khaniyara village to overflow and damaged properties in a market there. On Nag Mandir road, mud entered houses and shops while a small bridge got washed away, which affected traffic on the Dharamshala-Sidhwari road. The flood had damaged a few vehicles too.