The Manali-Leh highway was closed and about a dozen villages were cut off from the district headquarters in Himachal Pradesh's tribal Lahaul and Spiti district following flash floods, officials said on Monday, June 29, 2026.
Highway Blocked and Villages Isolated
Locals said the road to the district headquarters, Keylong, is obstructed by debris collected by the floodwaters. The Jobrang bridge, a critical link to remote parts of the district, is also inundated with water. The Manali-Leh highway was closed following a flash flood at Jispa, while several villages could not be reached after a flash flood in Jhalma nallah.
Melting of snow on the mountain peaks has caused the water level to rise in Jhalma nallah, locals said. Videos of the flash floods are widely circulating on the internet.
BRO Efforts to Reopen Road
The Border Roads Organisation's 70 RCC unit is currently working through the night with three machines at the Manali-Leh highway, officials said. Ten to twelve vehicles were successfully cleared earlier, but the road is getting blocked again due to the intense flooding. A BRO official stated, "The Border Roads Organisation is working diligently, making every effort to reopen the road. If the situation normalises slightly, the road could be reopened on Monday night."
Weather Warning and Rainfall Data
The Shimla Met Centre on Monday issued an orange warning for heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places in several districts of Himachal Pradesh on July 2-3. An orange alert has been issued for Kangra and Mandi districts on July 2 and 3, and for Kullu, Shimla, Solan, and Sirmaur districts on July 3.
Some parts of the state saw moderate rains in the last 24 hours since Saturday evening. Shimla, Kangra, and Sundernagar recorded thunderstorms and lightning. According to the weather office, Murari Devi received 63.6 mm of rain, followed by Brahmani (51.4 mm), Ghaghas (50 mm), Berthin (45.2 mm), Neri (42.5 mm), Hamirpur (36 mm), Shilaroo (33.6 mm), Slapper (45.1 mm), Bijahi (45.7 mm), Sundernagar (26.2 mm), Bilaspur (26 mm), Jubberhatti (25.5 mm), and Shimla (20.8 mm).
Wet Spell Expected
The weather department has also predicted a wet spell in Himachal till July 4, as a fresh western disturbance is likely to affect northwest India from July 2. Kukumseri was the coldest in the state with a low of 8.3 degrees Celsius, while Una was the hottest with a maximum temperature of 36 degrees Celsius.
