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Seventy-year-old Munshi stepped out of his home on the night of 10 July, 2025. When he returned a few hours later, in the place of his home stood ruins.
“What am I going to do with my life now?” he asked.
His shock is mirrored by thousands whose lives have been uprooted by the cloudburst in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. Officials said that since the onset of the monsoon on 20 June, Himachal Pradesh has witnessed 23 flash floods, 19 cloudbursts, and 16 landslides.
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While official figures suggest the death toll has crossed 91, Divyanshu Upadhyay of the Bharat Disaster Relief Foundation (BDRF), which is overseeing the relief and rescue operations on the ground, says the death toll is well beyond 100.
True to their commitment, BDRF reached on ground within 48 hours and is racing against time to reach out to the communities. But the problem is compounded by blocked roads. According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), incessant rainfall across Himachal Pradesh resulted in over 269 roads being blocked, with Mandi and Kullu being the worst-affected districts. The downpour triggered landslides, waterlogging, and infrastructure damage, disrupting road connectivity and essential services across multiple districts.
While relief efforts are on, it isn’t possible without your help. You can be the reason someone finds shelter, food, and warmth.
How can you help the people of Mandi?
Every semblance of normalcy has been disrupted in Mandi in the aftermath of the flash floods. But volunteers on the ground are attempting to restore shreds of hope among the locals.
Sharing the urgency of the situation on the ground, Divyanshu says, “The destruction is the worst in Thunag, Baksaidh, and Dharampur; over 200 families have lost everything. Our volunteers have been on the ground for the past week, distributing essential supplies to affected communities.” The BDRF team is currently flooded with urgent requests for critical items such as tarpaulins, clothes for children, kitchen sets and food rations.
But only temporary relief will not help, Divyanshu explains. “The stories we are seeing in front of us are so terribly sad. People are crying. Their homes have been washed away in the floodwaters. Family members have been washed away. People don’t have any hope left.”
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Among the affected communities are also pregnant women, senior citizens with health problems, individuals with disabilities, and those who have fallen sick. “While we are not actively providing medical kits, we are assisting with ensuring that people can be taken to the hospitals, or given the assistance they need,” he says. In fact, the Mata Baglamukhi Ropeway has become a lifeline for the people, providing conveyance amid the shutdown of various roads.
Hope flickers in the midst of ruin
The level of tragedy is beyond comprehension, the team explains.
“There is so much pain around,” Divyanshu shares. “We are seeing families who are just lifelessly staring at their mud homes that have crumbled. Families have lost their money, belongings, and even jewellery in the floods. They have lost the things they have saved up for years. Imagine their pain.”
In the wreckage, the locals are still digging for any remnants that might be saved.
“But the possibility is less,” Divyanshu shares. “They can’t understand how they will ever return to normalcy.”
He shares the story of a three-year-old girl whose family was washed away in the floodwaters. “Her grandmother’s body was discovered yesterday. Her parents are still missing but presumed dead. The girl has lost everything in the span of one night.”
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They chose compassion in grief. Can we too?
But it is the locals’ courage that amazes the team. “Despite having lost everything, they are still worried about their neighbours. When we distribute the relief kits to them, they only take what they really need, because they want to ensure everyone around them has enough.” The kits that are being distributed contain flour, lentils, rice, sugar and blankets and emergency aid.
Currently, the communities are displaced; they are living at the local centres that have been set up.
If you’d like to step in and make a difference, not just for temporary relief but to help these communities get back on their feet in the months to come, you can donate here.
All pictures courtesy BDRF
Sources
Himachal Pradesh monsoon havoc: Death toll rises to 80, 7 districts face flash flood risk; dog saves 67 lives in Mandi by Arshdeep Kaur, Published on 8 July 2025.
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