Houses in Shimla’s Nankhari, Kotgarh at risk of sinking due to incessant rain

PTI

Shimla/Rampur, July 29

Several houses in Nankhari and Kotgarh areas of Shimla district are at risk of sinking due to incessant rains in the area, officials said on Saturday.

The district administration plans to rope in geological experts to ascertain the reason behind the sinking land in six panchayats in these areas, they said.

Continuous rains over the past few days have led to the sinking of land in a few villages in six panchayats with several families evacuated to safer places, Deputy Commissioner Shimla Aditya Negi told PTI.

“We will ask geological experts to conduct a survey to find the reason behind the sinking of land,” he said.

Heavy rain lashed the Rampur area in Shimla on Friday night, triggering landslides and blocking the Shimla-Kinnaur highway (National Highway 5) at Jeori. The road was opened at the Borni nullah after almost 40 hours.

Water and power supply was cut off at many places and some houses developed cracks after the rain.

“Continuous rain over the past three weeks has made the situation grim. Relief and restoration work is going on in full swing. Heavy machinery has been deployed to open the roads and people living in unsafe houses are being shifted to safer places,” Nand Lal, a local MLA from Rampur, said.

Rattan Chand Gautam, a resident from one of the affected areas, said people are afraid of more rain.

“The land is sinking and houses have developed cracks, and water and power supply has been snapped,” he said.

Authorities have advised people against venturing into landslide-prone areas till the roads are opened.

Restoration works are being carried out on a war footing and the roads are likely to be opened soon, officials said.

A cloudburst occurred in the upper areas of Jaban in the Anni area of Kullu district on Friday night, triggering a flash flood in Deori Khud.

The flash flood damaged orchards and rendered the Anni-Barsa road inaccessible at many places.

A surge in the discharge of water also created a flood-like situation in the Kotu nullah.

Some houses and cowsheds were also damaged but the situation is normal now as the water has receded. No human casualties have been reported, Kullu Deputy Commissioner Ashutosh Garg told PTI.

As many as 187 people have died in rain-related incidents and road accidents in Himachal Pradesh so far since the onset of the monsoon on June 24. Thirty-four people have gone missing, according to official data.

About 702 houses have been washed away in the rain, while 7,161 have been partially damaged. The state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 5,620 crore till July 28, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre.

The local meteorological office has issued a ‘yellow’ alert, warning of more heavy rain on August 2. It has predicted a wet spell in the state till August 4.

A ‘yellow’ alert indicates bad weather conditions which might change for the worse, disrupting daily activities.

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