Landslide damages vehicles in Shimla as monsoon hits Himachal

Heavy rainfall persisted in Shimla until 2 am on Friday with Jubbarhatti, where the domestic airport in Himachal Pradesh is located, receiving 136 mm of rainfall. Other parts of the district received 84.3 mm of rainfall, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Local residents in Shimla claimed that it was a man-made landslide caused by choked drainage. “Yesterday night, Shimla received the first monsoon rain. Minor landslides were expected. At Malyana, the landslide was a man-made tragedy. People have choked the drainage with dumping garbage, concrete waste in the drainage. Moreover, a sewage pipeline was also broken at the Housing Board Colony (HBC) at Malyana. We have sent the rescue workers along with a JCB machine on the spot,” Shimla Mayor Surinder Chauhan told The Indian Express.

Eight vehicles in Shimla were damaged as concrete-rock debris slid from the hill and landed on the parked vehicles at Malyana area. (Express Photo)

Shimla Municipal Corporation and Public Works Department officials are at work, clearing the debris as early as possible, Chauhan said.

The IMD has forecast heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms in Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Bilaspur, Chamba, Sirmaur and Solan districts in the next 72 hours.

Tourist destinations such as Mashobra received 38 mm of rainfall, Kufri and Shilaroo 24.2 mm, Karsog 18.2 mm, and Pandoh 12 mm, IMD stated. The lowest rainfall, 1.0 mm, was received at Solan.

An official with the IMD in Shimla said, “Indeed, an average monsoon was predicted this time, but heavy to very heavy rainfalls are on the cards in Himachal Pradesh. Heavy to very heavy rainfalls fall in the category of 64.5 mm to 204.4 mm”.

The rains also brought down the minimum temperature to 8.1 degrees Celsius at Kukumseri in the Lahaul and Spiti district, while Shimla recorded a temperature of 16 degrees. Dehra Gopipur in Kangra district recorded the highest temperature at 34 degrees Celsius.

Local residents in Shimla claimed that it was a man-made landslide caused by choked drainage. (Express Photo)

Meanwhile, the weather department has forecast heavy rain along with thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places across the state in the next six days.

The state also experienced gusty winds blowing at a speed between 29.6 km/hour and 64.75 km/hour. Gusty winds with a speed of 64.75 km/h were recorded in Reckong Peo in the Kinnaur district.

To deal with monsoon-related emergencies, the Himachal Pradesh government has deployed small units of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Shimla, Mandi, Kullu, and Sirmaur districts, arranged satellite phones for rescue workers and deployed 206 JCBs throughout the 12 districts of the hill state, among other measures.

The leave applications of Public Works Department (PWD) employees have already been cancelled, except for emergency situations and 13,000 employees have been instructed to remain on standby duty throughout the one-and-a-half-month-long monsoon season starting July.

To deal with monsoon-related emergencies, the Himachal Pradesh government has deployed small units of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Shimla, Mandi, Kullu, and Sirmaur districts. (Express Photo)

“We have deployed approximately 350 heavy machines, including 206 JCBs, 110 bulldozers, and 17 temporary Bailey bridges across the rural and urban areas of 12 districts. The areas that were worst affected in last year’s monsoon are given special attention,” PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh told reporters on Thursday.

During the 2023 monsoon fury, at least 404 people in Himachal Pradesh lost their lives, and over 1,000 were injured, besides the loss of government and private property worth thousands of crores of rupees. Shimla, Mandi, Kullu, and Sirmaur districts were the worst affected in last year’s rains.