The southwest monsoon, which wrought havoc in Himachal Pradesh this season, triggering incidents of cloud bursts, flash floods, and landslides has completely withdrawn from the State, even as the hill State is limping back to normalcy.
The monsoon withdrew from the hill State with a delay of 12 days on October 6 from its normal date of departure i.e. September 24, and saw 21% excess monsoon rainfall this year, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) at Shimla.
The relentless monsoon that started on June 24, this year in Himachal Pradesh brought the State to its knees, leaving as many as 509 people dead in the rain-related incidents, besides 39 people were still missing till October 5. Over 15,000 houses were damaged, which left thousands of families homeless. The State had suffered a cumulative loss exceeding ₹9,712.50 crore, according to the State’s Emergency Operation Centre.
