The hills are alive again — with monsoon danger!

The onrush of the south-west monsoons in the wake of Cyclone Biparjoy has certainly cooled things off considerably at peak summer; but the rains lashing the Himalayan hillsides have — as per usual — precipitated landslides.

Jammu and Kashmir traffic police alerted travellers to blockage of National Highway 44 this morning, at 6 am on 26 June, due to shooting stones at Mehar on the Jammu–Srinagar route.

The 250 km Jammu–Srinagar Highway (NH44) is the only all-weather road connecting Kashmir to the rest of India, and brings truckloads of fruit to the plains as well as allowing essential supplies to be moved uphill from other states.

The police issued an advisory to drivers to avoid the route until restoration work is completed.

An hour later, a second advisory came through, closing down Mughal Road as well due to a landslide at Hari Katha. Taking Shiu Sagar (SSG) Road was suggested instead.

Schools were also shut down in Ramban town for fear of flash flooding. From yesterday till 8:30 am today, Ramban had recorded 62.2mm of rain.

With vehicles stranded near Cafeteria Morh and Mehar affected, it took till around 2:30pm in the afternoon for the authorities to move out some of the stranded vehicles enough to allow for one-way passage. However, vehicles from Srinagar and Jammu were not allowed down the road this morning.

Meanwhile, in Himachal Pradesh too, motorists had to spend an uncomfortable night in their vehicles in places, as flash flooding in the Khoti Nallah near Aut stopped traffic on the Kullu–Manali route.

Landslides also affected other routes, including the Mandi–Jogindernagar one, leaving hundreds of tourists stranded since the evening of Sunday, 25 June.

Nearly 100 km of the national highway near Pandoh in Mandi have been badly damaged due to incessant rain over the last two days and the ensuing landslide. Flash flooding and damage to houses has already claimed two lives in the last 48 hours.

The Mandi–Kullu link was already affected by a massive landslide near Kamad.

Basic supplies such as bread, milk, various essentials and newspapers are not getting through for now. District administration has said the road should be navigable by tonight, but it seems best for cautious travellers to stay put till the rains let up for a bit, perhaps.

With inputs from IANS