Now Reading: Monsoon damages 143 km of national highways, over 32,000 road deaths
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Monsoon damages 143 km of national highways, over 32,000 road deaths
Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari told Parliament that 143 km of national highway and expressway stretches across 20 states were significantly damaged by the 2026 southwest monsoon due to heavy rainfall, landslides,…
The Story in Brief
Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari told Parliament that 143 km of national highway and expressway stretches across 20 states were significantly damaged by the 2026 southwest monsoon due to heavy rainfall, landslides, flooding and erosion. Himachal Pradesh was the worst hit, with 27.2 km damaged, followed by Chhattisgarh (21.4 km) and Maharashtra (13.3 km).
Separately, provisional e-DAR data till July 27 shows 77,234 road accidents on national highways this year, causing 32,771 deaths and 89,560 injuries. The 2025 full-year figure was 62,122 fatalities. In Himachal Pradesh alone, Times Now reports that 70 people have died in rain-related incidents since June 30, 204 roads are blocked, and property damage has crossed Rs 910 crore.
The Indian Opinion
Gadkari quotes damage in metres while the human toll is in thousands of deaths. The media fixates on fresh tragedies like a house collapse killing a pregnant woman, but the routine 32,771 highway deaths in seven months barely stirs outrage. What will it take for road safety to be treated as a national emergency on par with monsoon damage? Watch for the full-year 2026 accident data when e-DAR figures are finalised.
Sources (2): livemint.com, timesnownews.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
