HEAVY rain spells continue in Himachal -Dharamsala wettest

Dharamsala, July 7, 2013:The State of Himachal Pradesh experienced heavy rainfall, as it is in total grip of monsoon period. In the last 33 hours, Dharamsala town remain the wettest place in the state ,she  recorded  178  mm of rain, metrological officials said here on Sunday.

Paonta Sahib in Sirmaur, the district adjoining Uttarakhand, experienced 141 mm rainfall. Other high rainfall areas are Gaggal-73, Mandi-60, Solan-54, Sundernagar-48, Jogindernagar-44, Kasauli-41, Seobagh and Dharmpur-33 each, Bhuntar Nahan-21, Kandaghat-16, Bhamaur-13, Una-10, Theog and Manali-8 each. Shimla received 7.9 mm rain, while it was 8.2 mm in Manali, 3 mm in Kalpa.

"Although the entire state is under the rain blanket, areas in Kangra and Sirmaur districts are experiencing  heavy rainfall in the past 48 hours, and if the situation continue ", a Met official said. He added that more showers could aggravate the situation in the state as most of the rivers and their tributaries are in spate.

The official said that heavy to very heavy rainfall /Thundershowers would also occur in the next week too.

"The water levels in the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers have increased abnormally due to continuous rainfall. But the rivers are still flowing below the danger mark," a government spokesperson said. However, the deputy commissioners of the districts of Mandi, Kangra, Chamba, Shimla and Simour have warned the public to remain away from the riverbanks, and to keep an eye on the extra water release from the reservoirs.