Kangra in peril: Villages sink, families flee

Continuous rain over the past few days has caused massive land subsidence in several villages of the Bachhwai area in Kangra district, forcing many families to evacuate to safer places. Among them, Garder village near Thural has been the worst affected, where several houses have collapsed and many others have developed deep cracks.

The situation has been compounded by the disruption of essential services. Electricity and water supply have been snapped after power poles were uprooted. Roads leading to these villages have either been washed away or split open with two to four feet wide cracks, cutting off access. Residents say they are spending sleepless nights as heavy sliding continues, with boulders tumbling dangerously close to residential areas.

Local people expressed fear of further rainfall, saying life has already been thrown out of gear. “We have never seen such devastation in decades,” said one villager. Senior BJP leader and Sulaha MLA Vipin Singh Parmar, who visited the affected villages, described the situation as grim, estimating damages to private and public property running into crores. He said many areas remain inaccessible due to road closures. The lack of electricity has also crippled mobile connectivity, delaying timely reporting of the damage. Parmar said that more than 15 houses had either collapsed or developed major cracks, and their occupants were shifted to government buildings or private houses.

Sulah SDM Salem Aajam also toured the villages, confirming that large-scale relief and rescue work has been launched. Several roads and water schemes have been hit, he said, adding that his priority was to move flood-affected families to safe shelters. Heavy machinery has been deployed to restore road connectivity, while people living in damaged houses are being relocated.

The Tribune team, which visited the villages on Monday, found widespread fear among residents. Villagers appealed for a geological survey to determine the causes of the sudden sinking. Ninety-two-year-old resident Sambhu Ram said he had never seen such heavy rain in 70 years.

In Jaisinghpur, too, the situation is grim, with over 20 houses already collapsed this monsoon and at least 15 families rendered homeless. Fortunately, no human casualties have been reported so far.