Sainj still waits 2 years after floods, only promises flow

Two years have passed since the July 2023 flood tore through Himachal’s Sainj valley, but for its residents, the trauma remains vivid and the threat, very real. The catastrophic downpour from the Pin Parvati river destroyed infrastructure from Shakti to Larji, sweeping away roads, bridges, homes and livelihoods. Over 40 shops in Sainj town alone were swallowed by the river, dealing a crippling blow to the local economy that serves 15 panchayats.

In the aftermath, villagers pinned their hopes on timely protection and reconstruction. Instead, they received hasty patchwork solutions—thin concrete walls that crumbled under the next bout of rain. Promised embankments remain confined to files and critical stretches of the river remain vulnerable. Despite repeated warnings from residents and elders, substantial flood protection remains a distant dream.

The villages of Neuli, Ropa, Karath, Siund, Bakshal and others still bear the scars of that calamity, both physical and economic. While people have shown remarkable resilience — rebuilding homes and reopening markets — the sense of abandonment runs deep. Compensation is yet to reach many of those affected, leaving them to chase bureaucracy for what’s rightfully theirs.

Banjar BJP president Amar Singh Thakur points to the NHPC as the only agency that pledged substantial support—around Rs 11 crore for reconstruction. However, he alleges that much of the promised funds never materialised into real work on the ground, a charge that has only deepened public frustration.

Veteran leader Om Prakash Thakur warns of looming danger. “Debris still clogs the riverbanks, and even the newly built walls protecting the main market are cracking,” he said. Recent rains in the Jivah nullah have already damaged the circular road to Neuli, raising fears that the region is just one storm away from another disaster.

Experts are calling for a robust flood-mitigation master plan: reinforced embankments, reforestation of upstream slopes, and a community-managed early warning system. Without these, they caution, Sainj Valley is living on borrowed time. As monsoon clouds gather again, so does the dread—a fear that resilience, no matter how heroic, cannot alone withstand the next fury of the river.