Shimla, August 23: Himachal Pradesh continues to reel under the devastating impact of the monsoon, with 224 people losing their lives in 55 days amid landslides, cloudbursts, drowning incidents and road accidents. The prolonged spell of severe weather has also disrupted road connectivity across the hill state, with149 roads currently blocked. The cumulative financial losses from the monsoon have crossed Rs 1,121 crore.

According to the latest figures covering the period from June 30 to August 23, 91 people have died in rain-related disasters, including landslides, cloudbursts, drowning and other weather-triggered incidents. Another133 people have been killed in road accidents, taking the overall death toll to 224. The figures translate to an average of more than four deaths every day during the 55 days.

Road connectivity has deteriorated following fresh rainfall in several parts of the state. The number of blocked roads rose sharply from98 on Saturday evening to 149 by Sunday morning, following fresh landslides, debris accumulation and damage to road infrastructure.

Mandi remains the worst-affected district, with 86 roads blocked, while Kullu has reported 31 blocked roads. Public Works Department personnel and other field teams have been deployed to clear debris and restore connectivity, with priority being given to key routes and essential services.

There has been some improvement in the power sector following sustained restoration efforts. The number of disrupted Distribution Transformer Regions (DTRs)has fallen from 89 to 60. Electricity restoration teams are continuing to repair damaged transformers, transmission lines and other power infrastructure in affected areas.

The water supply situation has also shown signs of improvement, with the number of disrupted Water Supply Schemes (WSS)declining to 35. Hamirpur accounts for the highest number of affected schemes, with 30 water supply schemes disrupted. Teams from the Jal Shakti Department are carrying out repair and restoration work to restore drinking-water services.

The monsoon-related financial losses have now crossed Rs 1,121 crore, covering damage to government infrastructure, private property, crops, livestock, roads, water supply systems and power infrastructure. The Public Works Department, Jal Shakti Vibhag and the power sector have suffered a significant share of the infrastructure damage.

Despite challenging weather conditions, emergency response and restoration teams remain deployed across Himachal Pradesh. The immediate focus is on clearing landslide debris, reopening blocked roads, restoring electricity and repairing damaged water supply systems.

The latest figures underline the severity of this year's monsoon in Himachal Pradesh, where fresh disruptions continue to emerge even as government agencies work to restore infrastructure damaged during earlier spells of extreme weather.