Landslides damage houses, cut off road access in Chamba

Several houses were damaged and road access to many remote villages was cut off by landslides triggered by landslides in several parts of Chamba district on Wednesday. In Bhodas village of Mangli panchayat in Churah subdivision, landslides severely damaged three houses. Torrents of water and debris entered houses, forcing residents to take shelter with neighbours. Mud and water flooded the premises of a local primary school.

In Gharamani village, a retaining wall collapsed due to heavy rain, exposing a house to danger. Ashish Thakur, SDM, Churah, said that the affected families had been shifted to safer places and the extent of damage was being assessed. Meanwhile, heavy rain also affected a primary school at Bhagsiyaa and Dhaliyar village in Jandroag panchayat of Bhattiyat subdivision. A cowshed was swept away in flashfloods, resulting in the loss of livestock. The potent threat of landslides has endangered houses.

Landslides also blocked key roads. The Nakrod-Chanju road near Kathwad Ghare was blocked, cutting off access to the gram panchayats of Bagheigarh, Chanju, Charda and Dehra. Similarly, the Chamba-Jot-Chuwari road was blocked near Kut. As a result, traffic was halted and vehicles were stranded on both sides of the road. Restoration efforts were underway but falling rocks were hampering progress.

The swollen Ganed nullah disrupted vehicular movement, affecting over 1,000 residents of Tissa-2, Jungra, Khajua and Bihali panchayats. Locals had long been demanding the construction a bridge on the nullah.

In another incident, boulders fell from a hillside near the Tarela bridge, damaging one of two nearby shops.

As per the District Operation Emergency Centre, 32 roads were still blocked in the district, the highest number of 12 in Salooni and 10 in Bhattiyat. Sixty-two water supply schemes had been hit while several areas plunged into darkness after 132 electricity transformers started malfunctioning.

As more heavy rain in the district has been forecast, Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Repaswal has urged local residents to avoid non-essential travel in view of the increased risk of landslides.