Landslide damages water pump in Shimla

Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 24

A major landslide hit a water pump house at Chaba near Sunni tehsil of Shimla district following intermittent rain, damaging property worth Rs 5 crore.

The pump house lifts water from the Sutlej and supplies it to the Gumma pumping house from where the water is supplied to Shimla through a pipeline.

However, the Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited (SJPNL) authorities said efforts were on to ensure that there was no disruption in the regular water supply.

The local MeT office has warned of flash flood risk over a few watersheds and neighborhoods of Uttarakhand and Himachal in 24 hours, besides inundation of some low-lying areas.

The Met also issued a yellow warning of heavy rain, thunderstorm and lightning at isolated places in Shimla, Sirmaur, Solan, Mandi, Kullu, Hamirpur, Kangra, Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts tomorrow.

Light to moderate rain lashed several parts and Nahan with 46.5 mm was the wettest followed by Sangrah 32 mm, Renukaji 29 mm, Dhaulakuan 27 mm, Solan 24 mm, Shimla 23 mm, Kufri 19 mm, Pachhad and Kotkhai 17 mm each, Dalhousie, Rohru and Una 16 mm, and Paonta Sahib 14 mm.

As per the impact-based forecast, it is time for planting of evergreen plants like mango, litchi, guava, citrus and amla. Farmers are advised to take precautions against thunderstorm and lightning and make proper drainage for vegetable crops and reschedule spraying of insecticide.

The death toll in the rain-related incident during the monsoon season has reached 283 and the state has suffered a loss of Rs 2,093 crore. As many as 69 roads are closed to traffic and 398 transformers hit.