In Himachal, this monsoon will go down as one of the wettest ever. Already, the state has seen over 46 per cent more than normal rainfall this season.

Against the normal rainfall of 692 mm it receives till mid-September, the hill state has already recorded 1,010 mm rainfall. It’s much higher than the state normally receives in the entire monsoon, around 734mm.

Just like the months of July and August, September is also witnessing rainfall in large excess. From September 1-16, the state has received 194mm rainfall against the normal rainfall of 78.3mm, which translates to 148 per cent higher than normal rainfall.

No wonder, several parts of the state continue to see extreme-weather events like landslides and flash floods even at the fag end of the monsoon. In August, the state had received the highest rainfall since 1949, recording an excess rainfall of 68 per cent.

Compared to the last 20 years, this monsoon has already become the wettest. Since 2005, the state has received the highest rain in 2018, 927mm.

In 2023, when the state had witnessed large-scale destruction due to heavy rains, a rainfall of 886 mm was recorded.

Key points

Himachal Pradesh has experienced one of its wettest monsoons ever in 2024.

The state received 1,010 mm of rainfall till mid-September, which is 46% more than the normal 692 mm.

Normally, the state receives about 734 mm of rainfall during the entire monsoon, so this season’s rainfall already exceeds that.

September (1-16) saw 194 mm of rainfall, which is 148% higher than the normal 78.3 mm.

July, August and September have all seen rainfall well above normal levels.

August recorded the highest rainfall since 1949, with a 68% excess.

This monsoon is the wettest in the last 20 years for Himachal Pradesh.

Previous highest monsoon rainfall was in 2018 with 927 mm.

In 2023, heavy rains caused large-scale destruction with 886 mm rainfall.

Excessive rainfall has caused extreme weather events like landslides and flash floods.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday said that Himachal Pradesh has had to fight for its rightful share on several issues.

He pointed out that despite the expiry of the lease period of the Shanan hydroelectric project situated in the state, it has not been returned by Punjab, while arrears due from the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) have also been delayed due to obstructions posed by Punjab and Haryana, despite a Supreme Court ruling.

“Punjab and Haryana are our elder brothers, and they should extend support generously to their younger brother,” Sukhu said.

He was speaking at the valedictory session of the two-day National Cooperative Conference in Shimla, where he inaugurated the Cyber Security Operations Centre of Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Bank. CM Sukhu also launched the bank’s cooperative anthem and released a souvenir.

The Chief Minister said that despite difficult geography and small land holdings, cooperatives in Himachal Pradesh have played a crucial role in strengthening the rural economy.

He recalled that the cooperative movement in the state began in 1904 and gained momentum after the state achieved full statehood in 1971. At present, more than 5,000 cooperative societies are active, including nearly 2,000 primary agricultural credit societies providing essential financial services to farmers and rural households.

Responding to a request from Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, Sukhu said the government would consider relaxations under Section 118 to enable cooperative societies to purchase land for business purposes.

He also asked the State Cooperative Bank to introduce a one-time settlement policy to help small farmers, orchardists, workers and traders become debt-free.

Sukhu said the state government had dissolved the Board of Kangra Central Cooperative Bank due to irregularities during the previous regime and reiterated that it would not tolerate misuse of public resources.

He further stated that the Congress government was implementing major reforms in education, health, and the rural economy.

Highlighting recent progress, the Chief Minister said Himachal had moved from 21st to 5th position in the country’s education rankings in 2025 and is striving for the top spot.

He added that the state has retained its pride of being a fully literate one. On health reforms, he said, “Modern equipment is being provided in leading hospitals, with an outlay of Rs 300 crore this year.

Robotic surgery has already been introduced in two government health institutions to offer better treatment to the people of the state.”

Despite suffering losses of nearly Rs 20,000 crore due to natural calamities over the past three years, Himachal has continued to sustain the pace of development, Sukhu said. Referring to the safe rescue of 16,000 devotees stranded during the Manimahesh Yatra in Chamba district, he added that the spirit of compassion and service runs deep in Himachal’s culture, with local communities ensuring no stranded pilgrim went without food or help.

To strengthen the rural economy, Sukhu said women’s self-help groups are being promoted under the ‘Him-Era’ brand. Milk procurement has also increased following a historic Rs 21 per litre hike in prices, with MILKFED now collecting 2.5 lakh litres daily from farmers.

He said natural farming is being encouraged with assured support prices, while women and youth groups are being linked to forest conservation activities with incentives.

Union Minister of State for Cooperatives Krishna Pal Gurjar congratulated Himachal Pradesh on achieving 100 per cent literacy and highlighted the Centre’s initiatives to strengthen the cooperative sector under the leadership of Union Minister Amit Shah.

He said the Union government has launched the “Sehkaar Taxi Sewa,” which could benefit Himachal given its tourism potential. He also suggested linking Himachal’s institutions with the newly established Tribhuvan Sehkari University and assured that the Centre would consider special fee concessions for hill states.

Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri said the cooperative movement began in 1892 from Panjawar in Una district and has since made remarkable progress.

Today, cooperative banks in the state hold deposits of nearly Rs 60,000 crore, and people’s trust in cooperatives must be preserved, he added.

Uttarakhand Cooperative Minister Dhan Singh Rawat said more than 10 lakh farmers in Uttarakhand have received agricultural loans through cooperatives, with the state aiming to connect 15 lakh people to the movement, focusing strongly on women’s empowerment.

Health Minister Dr (Col) Dhani Ram Shandil, HP State Cooperative Bank Chairman Devender Shyam, Jogindra Central Bank Chairman Mukesh Sharma, HP State Agriculture and Rural Development Bank Chairman Sanjay Singh Chauhan, HIMUDA Vice Chairman Yashwant Chhajta, NAFSCOB Chairman K Ravindra Rao, Joint Secretary to the Government of India Raman Kumar and representatives of cooperative bodies from across the country were present at the event.

Paragliding activities at Bir-Billing will resume from September 16 after a break of two months. A complete ban was imposed on paragliding in July with the onset of the monsoon to avoid mishaps.

Official sources said after notifying certain safety guidelines, the district administration will restore flying activities at the world-famous paragliding site.

Following the Baijnath administration’s directions, workers were cleaning the take off point at Billing, which was covered with wild grass.

Workers of the Himachal Pradesh Public Works Department were engaged in the restoration of a 14-km road between Bir and Billing, which was damaged by landslides and uprooting of trees during the rainy season.

Talking to The Tribune, Baijnath SDM Sankalap Gautam said if permitted, solo and tandem flights would be made operational for tourists at Bir-Billing from Tuesday.

An average of 200 pilots take off from Billing daily and land at Chogan, the landing site. Taxi drivers and guides welcomed the decision to resume the paragliding activities.

As paragliding was banned two months ago, most hotels and homestays wore a deserted look. Bir-Billing is arguably Asia’s best paragliding site and ranked among the best in the world.

This cozy village, a centre for eco-tourism, meditation and spiritual studies, is situated away from the hustle and bustle of big cities and other tourist destinations. The valley is located west to Mandi district.

Having hosted the Paragliding World Cup in 2024, Bir is referred to as the “Paragliding Capital of India” and is fast becoming the Mecca for paragliding enthusiasts and adventure sports lovers across the world.

Billing, the take-off point, is situated at 8,000 ft above sea level and offers a great flight. The landing site is on the southern edge of Bir and is around 4,500 ft from the sea level.

After recent cloud burst, flash floods, landslides and sinking of hills in the state, various environmental groups have urged Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to come out with a new environmental guidelines for Himachal Pradesh so that such natural disasters are not repeated in the future.

Talking to reporters here today KB Ralhan, Subhash Sharma and Suresh Kumar said for the past five years cloudbursts were a common occurrence in Himalayan regions with extreme weather events causing heavy destruction.

A recent cloudburst in the past two months followed by flash floods took a toll of 300 lives, drowned nearly 25 villages and damaged over 1,000 roads and other infrastructure in the state, they said.

Keeping in view the gravity of destruction, the government should focus on the implementation of environmental laws in the state with a zero tolerance for violations, they said.

The policy should impose a complete ban on felling of trees, cutting of hills and construction of buildings on banks of rivers and rivulets. Besides, the government should allow only selective mining in rivers of the state within the framework of guidelines of National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Supreme Court issued from time to time.

The Himachal Pradesh government should also withdraw notification issued in 2023, pertaining to use of heavy machinery for mining like JCB, poclain machine and earth movers in the state.

While criticising the decision of the state government to allow the use of heavy machinery for the first time in 2023 for mining and extraction of sand and stone from rivers and rivulets, they said it had virtually played havoc with nature.

They said the NGT and the High Court had many times raised concerns over the use of heavy machinery for the extraction of sand, stones and other minerals from rivers in the state.

Environmental groups lodged strong protests, but the government turned a blind eye towards the issue. They said most rivers in the state passed through protected forest, which were eco sensitive zones, where no environmental degradation should be permitted.

“In a significant order, the Supreme Court has directed that each protected forest should have an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of 1 km. Mining in national wildlife sanctuaries or national parks and in major rivers should be completely banned,” they added.

Ralhan stressed that the environmental effects of various hydro projects, whether large, medium, small, need to be assessed cumulatively. The construction methodologies for major projects should be contextualised to the Himalayan ecosystem.

Building regulations required updating and reinforcement to ensure that the ecology of the Himalayan region was not affected.

He said the recent disaster in Himachal Pradesh was as an indicator of such events, which were expected to increase in the near future if necessary steps were not initiated to check environmental degradations.

The prolonged and severe monsoons, resulting in road blockades and rotting crops, have caused the prices of most vegetables to skyrocket.

In fact, exotic vegetables from Lahaul were taken by road to Leh, from where they were airlifted to Delhi, as roads were closed via Manali.

“Cauliflower from Lahaul was sold for Rs 200 per kg here in Shimla, as it was routed back into our markets via Leh-Delhi,” said Hari Krishan Rathore, a vegetable vendor in New Shimla, who offered this explanation to his regular customers, who were baffled at such high prices. Prices of most vegetables in Chandigarh have also shot up.

He says that if vegetables do not come into Himachal from Delhi-Chandigarh, there will practically be no veggies in the market, as the crop in Himachal has been destroyed due to excessive rains. Tomatoes were also sold for Rs 100 per kg, though the prices are gradually coming down.

Though road connectivity between Manali-Lahaul has been restored to facilitate the transportation of vegetables from the tribal district, the rates are still exceptionally high.

Last month, when road connectivity in most parts of Himachal was severely hit, the Lahaul-Spiti district administration arranged for the produce of the farmers, mostly exotic vegetables, to be air lifted from Leh to Delhi.

Bir Singh, a farmer from Lindur village, reported heavy losses. He had cultivated cauliflower on 10 bighas of land, but due to the road disruption, the entire crop perished in the fields. Like him, many farmers in the region have faced similar hardships.

Vegetable growers like Ramsh Thakur from Solan said most farmers suffered huge losses this season.

Last month, most vegetables from Lahaul were taken by road via the Bara Lacha-Sarchu-Leh route and then air-lifted by air cargo from Leh to Delhi. The produce from the tribal district of Lahaul-Spiti, especially peas, broccoli, and potatoes, is considered of very high quality and fetches very good rates in the national market.

With only a fraction of the vegetable produce air-lifted via Leh, the farmers suffered huge losses due to road closures between Keylong-Manali last month. Deputy Commissioner Kiran Bhadhana confirmed that approximately 30 tonnes of vegetables were transported via the cargo service from Leh during the disruption.

She added that farmers are now using the road route through the Atal Tunnel towards Manali and Kullu.

The cargo service was specially arranged to support farmers during this critical time when their produce was at risk of rotting in the fields.

Another farmer, Pritam Singh from Lahaul, said that since the Manali-Leh highway has reopened, farmers have resumed transporting their produce via Manali and the Atal Tunnel, as the Leh route involved significantly higher transportation costs due to the longer distance.

Shimla city is losing its touch and culture of walking with “Umbrella and Jacket” and it is being reduced to the same stage as Mussoorie where traffic is plying on sealed roads and, therefore, Old Shimla is losing its charm that needs to be restored.

The High Court of Himachal Pradesh observed this while dealing with a public interest litigation (PIL) concerning hygiene and traffic management in Shimla.

While expanding the scope of the PIL, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia and Justice Ranjan Sharma directed the Secretary (Home) to file a report detailing the number of sealed road passes issued, the rates charged, their purpose and the categories of persons to whom they were issued.

Besides, the court also directed the SSP, Shimla, to file a detailed status reports in this regard.

The PIL was originally filed to highlight the dumping of garbage and unhygienic conditions on the road leading from ARTRAC to Ram Bazaar as well as the lack of proper guidelines for two-wheeler parking.

Photographs submitted in the court showed garbage piled behind vehicles, dismal cleanliness and roads blocked by haphazard parking of both two-wheelers and four-wheelers, causing hardship to pedestrians.

The Division Bench observed “the problem was not confined to one stretch but extended to restricted zones of the Mall Road, particularly from Rock Sea Hotel to Willow Bank, where vehicles were being parked overnight under the guise of “drop-off passes”.

The court also noted that the road from Shilli Chowk/Shimla Club to Chhota Shimla Chowk, designated as a sealed road, was witnessing heavy vehicular presence due to indiscriminate issuance of passes. The matter has been listed for the next hearing on October 10.

Himachal will continue to witness rain today as the state’s Meteorological Department has issued a yellow weather warning for Kangra, Mandi, Hamirpur and Bilaspur districts.

This means light rainfall is likely in isolated areas of these districts for the next few hours.

As a result, visibility conditions in these districts are also likely to decrease. The weather will remain dry in most places of the state for the rest of the day.

Meanwhile, light rain continued in isolated places of the state during the past 24 hours. The department has also issued a yellow weather warning for the state from September 12 to 14.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a financial assistance package of Rs 1,500 crore for flood and rain-affected areas in Himachal Pradesh.

He also declared an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of those who lost their lives and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

The announcement came after PM Modi conducted an aerial survey of the severely affected Mandi and Kullu districts and reviewed the flood and landslide situation in the state.

The PM acknowledged the gravity of the situation and assured that the central government would make all efforts to address the situation.

He also announced the advance release of the second instalment of SDRF and PM Kisan Samman Nidhi and sanction under PM Awas Yojana, restoration of national highways, provision of relief under PMNRF along with release of mini kits for livestock would also be done.

Prime Minister also met families who were affected by the calamity. He expressed his condolences and deep sorrow to the family members of those who have lost their lives.

He stated that the union government would work closely with the state government at this difficult time and extend all possible assistance.

PM also meets personnel of NDRF, SDRF and Aapda Mitra volunteers and appreciated their efforts in undertaking relief and restoration works. He assured all help for restoration and rebuilding of infrastructure in the affected areas.

Recognising the critical need to support the agricultural community, he said additional assistance would be provided specifically targeted at farmers who currently lack power connections.

Under the PM Awas Yojana, geotagging of damaged houses would be done. This would help in accurate damage assessment and faster delivery of aid to those affected.

To ensure uninterrupted education, schools would be able to report and geotag damages, enabling timely assistance under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan.

Construction of recharge structures for water harvesting to help collect and store rainwater will be done. These efforts would improve groundwater levels and support better water management.

Inter-ministerial central teams have already visited Himachal Pradesh to assess the extent of damage, and based on their detailed report further assistance would be considered.

He later arrived in Kangra, where he was received by Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri, and other top officials. BJP leaders including Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur and state party chief Rajiv Bindal were also present at the Gaggal airport.

As per the tentative schedule, the Prime Minister was briefed by the Chief Minister and senior officials on the scale of devastation caused by the monsoon.

The state has suffered losses of more than Rs 4,500 crore, while 370 persons have died and 41 are still missing.

The Public Works Department has suffered the maximum damage, as roads and bridges have been badly damaged.

A total of 136 landslides, 95 flash floods, and 45 cloudbursts have caused large-scale damage to both public infrastructure and private property since the start of the monsoons on June 20 earlier this year.

Even now, 615 roads are closed, including four national highways, while 1,748 electricity transformers and 461 water schemes remain dysfunctional.

Himachal is pinning its hopes on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Kangra tomorrow for getting a special financial package from the Central Government.

Modi will not only have an aerial view of the disaster-hit areas of Himachal but will also hold a meeting with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and senior officials of the state government to get an idea of the extent of damage caused during the past three months of the monsoon season. Former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur will also attend the meeting.

“It is natural that when the Prime Minister visits any state, the local government and people have high expectations.

I am hopeful that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will give Himachal a special relief package needed to tackle the devastation caused by heavy rain,” said Sukhu while talking to mediapersons here today.

He added that the state government and the Vidhan Sabha had already urged the Central Government to declare the monsoon losses as a national disaster so that liberal aid for undertaking relief and restoration work could be provided to the state.

All seven BJP MPs from Himachal had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah to seek special assistance for Himachal.

Sukhu said that the Prime Minister would have an aerial survey of the damage caused. “When the Prime Minister will have an aerial look at the rain damage, he will get an exact idea of the losses suffered by the state.

A detailed presentation will be made to him on the damage suffered by the state due to unprecedented heavy rain so that the Central Government could provide relief,” he added.

The Chief Minister said that so far, Himachal had suffered over Rs 5,000 crore losses, with the maximum damage caused to the highways of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) while the state roads had also been badly damaged.

He added that it would not only take a lot of money but also time to restore the damaged infrastructure in the state.

All arrangement have been made for the Prime Minister’s visit. While Jai Ram Thakur has already reached Dharamsala, Sukhu will be reaching there today.

Sukhu said, “Many roads, power and water supply schemes have suffered extensive damage. Many hydroelectric power projects have also suffered massive damage and are submerged under water.”

So far, 370 persons have died during the ongoing monsoon season and 41 are missing. Besides, 747 roads, including three National Highways, are still closed for vehicular traffic, while 472 water supply schemes and 959 power transformers have been damaged due to heavy rain.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday declared Himachal Pradesh a fully literate state under the centrally sponsored literacy programme ULLAS.

Under this programme, any state achieving over 95 per cent literacy rate is considered a fully literate state.

Under this programme, a learner has to acquire financial and digital literacy along with reading and writing ability.

“We have become a fully literate state. It is a matter of great pride for us,” said the CM while speaking at the International Literacy Day function in Shimla.

Education Minister Rohit Thakur said that Himachal has achieved a literacy rate of over 99 per cent, the highest in the country. He said it had been a long journey for the state since 1947, when the literacy rate was just 7 per cent.

Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the state on September 9 to assess the damage caused by recent floods, landslides and heavy rains.

During his visit, the Prime Minister is expected to hold a high-level meeting in Dharamsala to review the situation and discuss relief measures.

Thakur was today in his home Assembly constituency Seraj in Mandi district to meet flood-affected residents.

Thakur said, “We are hopeful that the Centre will provide adequate financial assistance to Himachal.” He added that the people of the state are closely watching the developments and trust the PM’s benevolent approach.

Thakur, who will also attend the Dharamsala meeting, said he would personally apprise PM Modi of the ground realities across disaster-hit regions.

Meanwhile, taking a dig at the Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led state government, Thakur accused it of running a “government of deprivation.”

He alleged that instead of giving to people, the government has been systematically snatching their rights, such as DA, medical reimbursements, regularisation benefits and now higher grade pay.