Shimla, 19 August — Torrential overnight rain triggered multiple landslides across Himachal Pradesh, forcing evacuations, damaging infrastructure and disrupting daily life. Officials said 30 families were evacuated from Shimla’s Benmore locality after a landslide late Monday night, while a cloudburst in Kullu’s Lug Valley swept away a bridge and three shops in the early hours of Tuesday.
Though no casualties were reported in Shimla, power and water supply were disrupted after mudslides struck the Ramchandra Chowk area, one of the VIP zones in the state capital that houses official residences, including that of Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur.
Thakur, who represents Seraj as a BJP MLA, criticised the state government’s disaster preparedness. “Earlier, we saw damage in Mandi district, but now Shimla, Kullu and Chamba are also facing similar disasters. The retaining wall built near Ramchandra Chowk last year at a cost of ₹70 lakh could not even last one year. Houses have been vacated and both upper and lower stretches of the settlement are under serious threat. Even ambulances cannot pass as the road has been completely blocked,” he said.
Residents said cracks had been visible in the Benmore stretch for two weeks, but the situation worsened on Monday night, with the slide occurring between 10.30 pm and midnight. The mudslide also blocked the Jakhu road, uprooting trees and leaving locals stranded. On Tuesday morning, a tree collapsed on a house near Ashiyana Regency in Chota Shimla, damaging the building but causing no injuries.
In Kullu, a cloudburst around 1 am swelled the Sarvari river, sweeping away a bridge at Kaniyan and three shops. Large cracks appeared on the road connecting the Bhutnath Temple with the bus stand. Kullu Deputy Commissioner Torul S. Raveesh declared a holiday in all schools, colleges and anganwadis in Kullu and Banjar subdivisions on Tuesday. The Dunga river was also in spate, leaving a pedestrian bridge at Hanuman Bagh on the verge of collapse, officials said.
Heavy rain also battered Mandi district, where the Kiratpur Sahib-Manali highway was blocked by a landslide at Dwada. With the alternative Kataula route also rendered unusable, traffic to Kullu came to a halt. More than 200 roads have remained blocked in Mandi for the past three days, paralysing transport and leaving farmers unable to move fruits and vegetables to markets. Two fish farms were washed away in Choharghati area of Padhar, causing further economic losses.
The Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (HPSDMA) reported that the monsoon death toll in the state has risen to 268 since June 20. Of these, 140 fatalities were attributed to landslides, flash floods, drowning and electrocution, while 128 deaths occurred in road accidents during the season. The report added that 336 people have been injured and 37 remain missing.
Cumulative losses have been estimated at over ₹2,194 crore, including damages to roads, water supply schemes, power lines, crops, houses and livestock.
