Overburdened hills, saturated soil behind Shimla disaster

Cracks appear on a road after heavy rainfall in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, on Tuesday. Pics/PTI

Being in seismic zone IV and highly vulnerable to landslides, Shimla saw over 115 houses and buildings suffering damage or collapsing during recent incessant rains, with experts attributing it to water saturation in soil, construction on drains, seepage and overburdening of hills. About 46 people have died in rain-related incidents in Shimla district this Monsoon and the losses in the district have touched Rs 1,286 crore, Deputy Commissioner Shimla Aditya Negi said.

Principal Scientific Officer, Himachal Pradesh Council for Science Technology and Environment (HIMCOSTE) S S Randhawa said that after the snow season, there was virtually no summer season and the rainy season immediately followed that aggravated the situation as there was no break for moisture in the soil to dry. "We have disturbed the natural balance of nature. The present situation is the result of our collective failure and we need to own it," said former state chief architect Nand Kishore Negi.

Vehicles stuck in a manhole amid heavy rain, in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand on Tuesday

The population of Shimla city has increased more than the carrying capacity (natural resources, water and air quality and carriage capacity). The old natural drainage system has become defunct and buildings have come up on drains, he told PTI. Earlier 30 per cent area had constructions and 70 per cent was vacant but now the scenario is reversed and the volume of water in drains has surpassed the carrying capacity, he said. Britishers had developed Shimla for a population of about 15,000, but the population had surpassed three lakh in 2021.

5 killed in Chamba landslide

The death toll in the landslide in Chamba, Uttarakhand, has risen to five with one more body recovered from the rubble, officials said on Tuesday. A massive landslide occurred near a parking lot in Chamba on Monday, burying five people alive, including a woman and her four-month-old baby. The official said the Chamba-New Tehri highway continues to be closed due to the accumulation of landslide debris on the road.

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