Dharamshala, Sept. 18 -- The water level in the Pong Dam has risen to over five feet above its maximum capacity of 1,390 feet, recording 1,395.20 feet at 5 pm on Wednesday. As per the information shared by SDM Indora in Kangra district, the inflow into the dam's reservoir was 52,313 cusecs, while the outflow was 59,845 cusecs. Pong is located on the river Beas in the wetland of Shivalik hills of Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, close to the border with Punjab. The dam's catchment areas in Kangra, Mandi and Kullu districts in Himachal, have been witnessing heavy rainfall in the past many days. The local officials of the administration in Indora and Fatehpur subdivisions of Kangra district have urged residents in downstream areas to stay alert and stay away from the water channel. The India meteorological department's (IMD) Shimla office has predicted rainfall to continue in parts of the state in the coming few days, however, no heavy rain alert has been sounded. According to MeT department officials, light to moderate rainfall is very likely at a few places on September 18, and at isolated places on September 19 and 20. However, light rainfall is expected at isolated places from September 21 to 23. The high-hill areas of the state are expected to witness dry weather from September 19, while dry weather has been predicted in mid-hill areas from September 21. However, the plains are expected to continue to receive light rain till September 23. During the last 24 hours, monsoon activity was normal over the state and light to moderate rain was observed at many places. The highest rainfall of 4 cm was recorded in Bilaspur Sadar, followed by Kasauli (4 cm), Sarahan (3 cm), Naina Davi (3 cm), Pandoh (2 cm), Mandi (2 cm), Palampur (2 cm), Karsog (1 cm). MeT department officials said that the maximum temperatures are likely to gradually rise by 3-4 degrees during the next 4-5 days. However, no large change is expected in the minimum temperatures during this period. The search operation to locate the two missing persons in Mandi's Dharampur continued on Wednesday, however, they have not been located yet. Officials said that teams of SDRF, NDRF and local police are jointly searching for the missing persons, after a flash flood struck Dharampur on Monday night. Drone cameras were also used in the search operation. The Dharampur bus stand area in Mandi district suffered heavy damage after heavy rain lashed the region on Monday night. Buses and vehicles were swept away in the strong flow of water. Water from the flooded Son rivulet entered the bus stand, which is located close to the riverbed. Dharampur SDM Joginder Patyal said that the search operation will continue. "The administration is also fully engaged in relief and restoration work and soon bus services will be normal in Dharampur. The administration is working at a fast pace to restore roads and clear silt from the Dharampur bus stand using JCB machines and departmental equipment," he said. Officials said that so far an immediate relief of about Rs.13.60 lakh has been distributed to people affected by the flash flood near the Dharampur bus stand. Meanwhile, the connectivity continues to remain affected in many regions of the rain-battered Himachal, with 519 roads, including two national highways, blocked on Wednesday. It included 187 roads in Mandi district, followed by 155 roads in Kullu, 51 in Shimla and 33 in Kangra. In Kullu, NH-03 continued to remain blocked on Wednesday, while NH-503A remained blocked in Una district. Since the onset of the monsoon in Himachal Pradesh on June 20, as many as 419 people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents. This includes 237 deaths due to landslides, flash floods, cloudbursts, and drowning, while 182 people have died in road accidents. Around 8,000 houses have either been partially or completely damaged so far. Shimla Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu chaired a high-level meeting to assess the damages caused by the torrential rains over the last 48 hours across the state on Wednesday. Expressing concern over the loss of lives and properties he directed all the officials concerned to take prompt action to ensure the safety and well being of the affected people. Sukhu directed the officers of the PWD department to restore road connectivity at the earliest, particularly in apple growing areas of the state. He also instructed to reinstate electricity, water supply schemes and other essential supplies in the affected areas on priority. He also asked the HPMC to deploy additional vehicles for the transportation of apples from their collection centres....