A fresh landslide on the outskirts of Shimla on Friday prompted the district administration to order the precautionary evacuation of a residential building in Pujarli gram panchayat, even as the overall weather situation across Himachal Pradesh showed signs of temporary improvement.
The landslide occurred on a hillside above a cluster of houses, raising concerns about the safety of residents living uphill. Shimla (Rural) SDM Manjeet Sharma said families residing in one building had been asked to vacate their flats as a precautionary measure.
“We have asked the families living in the building to vacate their flats. The action has been taken as a precautionary measure. There is no immediate threat to the building,” the SDM said.
The administration has also distributed tarpaulin sheets to prevent further soil erosion in the affected area. Authorities have simultaneously ordered an immediate halt to construction activity at the base of the slope, where excavation work was underway for preparing a plot. Officials are yet to determine whether the hill cutting and digging contributed to the landslide.
Elsewhere in the state, the impact of the ongoing monsoon continued to disrupt normal life. According to the State Emergency Operation Centre, 121 roads remain closed to traffic, with the highest number of closures reported from Mandi (41), followed by Kullu (24) and Chamba (23). Besides road connectivity, 179 water supply schemes and 63 power distribution transformers continue to remain affected.
After several days of widespread rainfall, weather conditions improved across most parts of Himachal on Friday. However, the India Meteorological Department has forecast light to moderate rain across the state from Saturday until the end of the month. Rainfall activity is expected to intensify between July 27 and 29, for which an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall has been issued in a few districts.
Despite repeated spells of rain, Himachal has so far recorded an overall monsoon deficit of eight per cent. Against the normal rainfall of 293.9 mm between June 1 and now, the state has received 269.7 mm. While districts such as Shimla, Kullu, Kinnaur, Chamba, Solan and Una have recorded above-normal rainfall, Lahaul and Spiti and Hamirpur continue to report significant deficits. Kinnaur is also expected to receive above-normal rainfall during the next spell.