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Journalism of Courage
“In the 2023 monsoon, around 11-foot-high retaining wall, which is now standing intact, collapsed leaving the rear side of a five-story residential building hanging in the air. This time, its adjoining retaining wall has collapsed leaving behind a triple-story residential house in the same condition in which the five-story building was two years ago,” Ram Krishan, a PWD driver engaged in clearing of debris and muck coming along with the landslide at Himland area on Circular Road in Shimla said.
Thursday night’s massive landslide, which blocked the Circular Road for at least 18 hours almost paralysing the traffic movement on one of the busiest roads, was the 29th landslides in Shimla district during the ongoing monsoon. Shimla stood on the second number in the view of landslides this monsoon in the state after Lahaul & Spiti which recorded 30 landslides since June 20. Out of 29 landslides in Shimla, 14 occurred within Shimla (urban).
Crumbling retaining walls, uprooted trees, broken roads, and repeated landslides have pushed the state capital into crisis during the ongoing monsoon that is nearing its end.
According to estimates, Shimla (urban) has suffered losses of approximately Rs 52 crore due to damage to public infrastructure, including retaining walls, rainwater drainage channels, and roads. The damage also includes the loss of more than 50 fully grown and young Deodar trees in the city.
The overall loss of Rs 52 crore, includes Rs 20 crore to the Shimla civic body, Rs 28 crore to the state PWD, and about Rs 4 crore to the forest department. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is yet to finalise its estimates for damage along NH-5 passing through the Shimla bypass.
“Out of Rs 28 crore, around Rs 15 crore is only meant for the restoration of two retaining walls at Ramchandra Chowk. This slope is full with muck and the solid rock is around 6 feet below the muck. It will take time to reconstruct this,” a senior PWD officer said.
Meanwhile, preliminary observations of some landslides and collapsed retaining walls suggest that improper sewage drainage, leakage from underground septic tanks, and incessant rain are the main causes of destruction. Officials also noted that multistorey buildings constructed on fragile hill slopes exert pressure on retaining walls, increasing the risk of slides, especially during rains.
“We inspected the landslide site at Himland near St Edward’s School and found a plastic sewage drainage pipe inside the collapsed portion. This is common in the hills nowadays. People discharge sewage directly onto slopes in the absence of a proper system. Many even allow their septic tanks to leak to avoid cleaning them, but this saturates and weakens the strata, which worsens during rains,” Superintending Engineer (PWD Shimla Circle) Deepak Raj Chauhan explained to The Indian Express.
He said that since the 2023 monsoon, there has been a set pattern of destruction in Shimla. Some areas — Himland, Talland, Khalini, Ramnagar, Kachi Ghati — are prone to recurring landslides due to fragile strata compared to localities built on solid rock.
“The recent landslide in Himland, which blocked Circular Road near St Edward’s School for almost 14 hours, occurred at the same spot where a massive landslide struck in 2024. Last year, a five-storey residential building was declared unsafe. This time, the adjoining three-storey building has been declared unsafe. Roads were severely damaged during the rains. Potholes are everywhere. We made a loss of approximately Rs 28 crore, ” Chauhan added.
The major affected areas in the capital city include Ramchandra Chowk, Himland, Panthaghati, Nav Bahar, Talland at Milsington Estate, Vikas Nagar, Ramnagar, Khalini, and Tutikandi. Adjoining rural areas like Jutogh and Bhattakuffar also suffered heavy damage. At least 21 large and small retaining walls under the jurisdiction of Shimla Municipal Corporation (MC) and the state PWD have collapsed. Around three dozen residential buildings, including several four- to five-storey structures, have been declared unsafe and evacuated over the past four months. These unsafe buildings are located near Ramchandra Chowk, the State Museum, Krishna Nagar, Talland, Panthaghati, and Himland.
According to the Shimla civic body, about 55 tall and fully grown Deodar trees either fell during extreme weather or were felled because they posed a threat to nearby houses and residents.
Joint Commissioner (Shimla MC) Bhuwan Sharma said that during the recent torrential rains, the city suffered losses of about Rs 20 crore.
“Drainage and rainwater channels were washed away, roads including ambulance routes were damaged, and retaining walls collapsed. Around three dozen residential properties were declared unsafe and occupants were asked to shift until safety measures are taken,” Sharma added.
Senior scientist Vaneet Jishtu of the Himalayan Forest Research Institute (HFRI) said Shimla can recover only through forest and ecological conservation, provided the public participates instead of leaving everything to the government.
“We have been losing our forest cover. Forest cover is not just tall trees — it includes shrubs, bushes, and small plants that retain soil. Shimla is becoming landslide-prone because of habitat loss, unplanned construction, and poor drainage. Under Smart City projects, we used concrete tiles and heavy materials, but if we build with cement and tiles, we also need proper sewage drainage,” he warned.
September 18: A slope along with a retaining wall at Himland near St Edward’s School adjoining the Circular Road crumbled.
September 16: Multiple landslides reported at multiple places, including. Panthaghati, BCS, Chaura Maidan.
September 3: Massive landslide at Ramchandra Chowk area. A dozen Deodar trees along with two retaining walls collapsed. Six motor vehicles were partially damaged. Many government houses were evacuated. According to officials, Rs 15 crore are to be spent on the restoration work.
August 29: Landslide at Cart Road opposite the Congress headquarters Rajiv Bhawan halted the traffic movement.
July 21: A massive landslide at Jutogh Cantt area. Three vehicles were damaged.
June 30: A five-story building collapsed during the incessant rain at Bhattakuffar near Shimla.
