Kangra, April 18: A powerful storm that struck Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra region on Wednesday night left large parts of the district without electricity and water, severely affecting daily life and government services. Initial estimates suggest that the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Ltd (HPSEBL) and Jal Shakti Department suffered crores in damages.
Officials said nearly 5,500 transformers in Kangra and neighboring Chamba district were damaged in the high-velocity winds. “Lakhs of people were without power due to damage to transmission lines and transformers. Even 220 kVA high-tension lines were hit,” said Ajay Gautam, Chief Engineer, HPSEBL, Dharamsala.
Gautam added that teams were working around the clock to restore electricity. “We are trying to bring back supply as early as possible. Most transformers should be functional by tomorrow,” he said.
Sources in the department pegged the total damage to HPSEBL infrastructure at around Rs 2 crore.
The widespread power disruption also hit water supply schemes, with around 55 projects affected in Kangra district alone. “The breakdown in electricity impacted water distribution across the region, leaving nearly 3 lakh residents without supply,” said Deepak Garg, Chief Engineer, Jal Shakti Department.
In Dehra, the roof of a water supply pump station was torn off by the storm, causing an estimated loss of Rs 30 lakh, Garg added.
The storm uprooted trees across the district, blocking major and minor roads. The Dharamsala-Sarah-Gaggal route was among those affected, along with multiple link roads. While traffic movement was initially disrupted, Public Works Department (PWD) teams managed to clear most routes by Thursday evening.
In addition to infrastructure damage, the storm also struck the region’s agriculture and horticulture sectors. Wheat crops in the lower parts of Kangra were flattened by the gusts, while lichi and mango growers reported extensive losses.
“This year we had high hopes from the lichi and mango crop, but the storm wiped out much of it overnight,” said Sandeep, a horticulturist from Kangra.
District authorities are continuing to assess the total extent of the damage, while restoration efforts remain underway across sectors.
