Cloudburst Hits Kangra: 3 Injured, 18 Homes Damaged and Livestock Losses

On the evening of July 21, dark clouds gathered over the Boh Valley in Kangra district and dumped an astonishing amount of rain in a matter of minutes. The deluge turned into a cloudburst, the kind of sudden, violent downpour that locals say they hadn’t seen in years.

Three residents ended up with injuries – two with minor cuts and bruises, and one who required a brief hospital stay for a sprained ankle. While the human toll was relatively low, the damage to property was far more extensive. Eighteen houses were reported as damaged; thirteen of them were solid pucca homes, while the remaining five were kutcha structures that gave way more easily.

Alongside the houses, nine cowsheds were ripped apart and eight livestock – three buffaloes, four cows, a bull and a sheep – perished in the floodwaters. The community’s primary school also took a hit, with part of the building collapsing under the weight of the rushing water and debris.

The worst‑hit villages were Sapedi, Garun and Lam, all tucked within the Boh Valley. Residents there spoke of mud‑laden water surging down the narrow lanes, sweeping away belongings and making roads impassable. Earlier that week, six houses in the same valley had already been washed away by earlier rains, underscoring how vulnerable the area has become.

In response, the Himachal Pradesh Meteorological Department issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rain in Kangra and Mandi, and a yellow alert for the neighboring districts of Chamba, Kullu, Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur. The department warned of a low‑to‑moderate flash‑flood risk for the next 24 hours and said the wet spell could linger until July 27.

Officials from the local disaster management team have begun assessing the damage and are coordinating relief measures, including temporary shelters for families whose homes are now unsafe. As the rain finally eases, the people of Kangra are left to pick up the pieces, repair their homes and mourn the loss of their livestock.