The cold wave in the hill State worsened on Thursday with the sky remaining overcast for the second consecutive day. A sharp decrease in the day temperatures was felt all over the State with the mercury plummeting to minus 0.7 degrees Celsius in Keylong, the headquarters of tribal Lahaul-Spiti.

The Meteorological Department said the State witnessed complete to partially cloudy weather for the second day on Thursday owing to westerly winds. The night temperatures have remained almost stationary. The maximum temperatures are likely to dip further. A plunge of three to four degrees has been observed in past couple of days.

Heavy rainfall leading to flash floods in Himalayan rivers in July-end devastated three states — Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. It claimed 34 human lives and damaged property extensively. It also brought into focus the precarious condition of more than a dozen dams in the region.

Within just one week, starting August 1, these states received about half the rainfall they receive over an entire year—Uttarakhand received 44.6 per cent of its annual rainfall; Himachal 51.8 per cent and Jammu and Kashmir 55.6 per cent. Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand’s Garhwal region was the worst hit. The Bhagirathi, flowing much above the danger mark, washed away houses, hotels, roads and bridges. Nineteen labourers working on the Assi Ganga hydropower project in Uttarkashi were swept away by the river which they were trying to harness.

Brisk showers, accompanied by thunder, lashed parts of the state this afternoon.

Newly-appointed Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Sudripta Roy on Thursday confirmed that all Jaiprakash Associate Limited projects and properties will now come under the scanner after large-scale irregularities by the company were pointed out by the High Court.

The Himachal Pradesh High Court recently imposed a fine of Rs.100 crore on the company's Bagheri cement plant in Solan after discovering that it had flouted environmental laws and wrongfully acquired the land of native people.

Shimla records -4°C, Srinagar -2°C; cold spell to continue for some time. With mercury plummeting to sub-zero level in Narnaul, the region today reeled under intense cold wave.

Every winter, the cold climate almost freezes Himachal Pradesh's hydropower generation.

A large quantity of silt that makes its way into the 10,000-hectare Gobind Sagar, the country’s largest fishing pond, every year has spelt doom for fish breeding grounds over of the years.

The residents have been protesting from a long time against the 1000 MW hydro electric project run by the private company Jaiprakash Associates. According to them, the project has directly affected the traditional sources of water and forests and has snatched the livelihood of hundreds of tribal families in the area.

Shimla: The state government will consider granting compensation to the affected families for the damage caused due to the construction of hydroelectric projects, especially in the tribal Kinnaur d

More than two decades after the commissioning of 120 MW Bhabha hydel project, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today dedicated the 4.5 MW Bhabha Inauguration power project at Kafnoo in Kinnaur dist