The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall in Kangra, Sirmaur and Mandi districts of Himachal Pradesh on Sunday, as the state grapples with days of heavy rain, cloudbursts and landslides.

Since the monsoon began on June 20, at least 45 persons have died in rain-related incidents, ANI quoted data from the State Emergency Operations Centre as saying.

Meanwhile, 31 persons are still missing and rescue operations are underway, PTI reported.

In addition to the red alert, the weather agency also warned of low to moderate flash flood risk in parts of Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, Shimla and Sirmaur over the next 24 hours, PTI reported.

An orange alert for heavy to very heavy rain is also in place for Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Chamba, Solan, Shimla and Kullu districts.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday said that the government is prepared for any rain-related event, PTI reported.

He said food supplies had been delivered by mules to remote villages in Thunag of Mandi district as part of relief operations.

The chief minister added that the situation in the Seraj constituency of the district is improving and urged residents to rent out extra rooms to families displaced by cloudbursts. The state will provide Rs 5,000 per month to each affected family for rent.

In a social media post, Sukhu also said that around 63 tourists and crew members stranded in a hotel in Mandi district had been evacuated through joint efforts by the National Disaster Response Force and local authorities.

During this monsoon season, 288 persons were injured in Himachal Pradesh, ANI reported.

Around 240 roads remain blocked in the state, including 176 in Mandi district, and public and private infrastructure has suffered losses estimated at Rs 541.09 crore in Himachal Pradesh, the news agency reported.

Sukhu has claimed that the actual figure could be closer to Rs 700 crore.

Heavy rain alert in Punjab, Haryana 

The weather department on Sunday issued an orange alert for several districts in Punjab and Haryana, including Chandigarh, warning of heavy rain, thunderstorms and lightning over the next 24 hours.

In Punjab, the orange alert covers Pathankot, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Rupnagar, Nawanshahr, Fatehgarh Sahib, SAS Nagar and Jalandhar, while a yellow alert has been issued for the rest of the state.

In Haryana, orange alerts have been issued for Ambala, Panchkula and surrounding areas, with yellow alerts across other districts.

The IMD on Saturday said it forecasts heavy to very heavy rainfall between July 6 and July 9 across northern and eastern Punjab and parts of Haryana and Chandigarh.

Authorities have warned of flash floods, urban flooding, and possible landslides in hilly areas, urging residents and farmers to take precautions, The Indian Express reported.

The weather agency has also issued a yellow alert for Delhi, forecasting thunder and lightning accompanied by light rain in the national capital.