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Relentless rain batters Himachal’s Sirmaur, 40 trapped after landslide in Nahan
Schools, colleges, and anganwadis closed in Sirmaur and Solan as IMD issues heavy rain alert until July 15
Widespread, heavy rainfall has thrown life out of gear and caused significant damage across Himachal Pradesh, with Sirmaur and Solan districts bearing the brunt of the monsoon fury on Friday.
In Kullu, a 70-year-old man died after being struck by a falling rock on Friday afternoon in the Ani subdivision of the district.
Pachhad in Sirmaur recorded an extremely heavy 207mm of rainfall in a 24-hour period, followed closely by Nahan at 158.5mm.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) attributed the downpour to a low-pressure area over central Uttar Pradesh paired with a western disturbance over north Pakistan, warning that the wet spell will persist with heavy rain alerts issued until July 15.
Early on Friday morning, a dilapidated retaining wall collapsed in Joshiyon Wali Gali near Bada Chowk in Nahan, the headquarters of Sirmaur district.
The collapse sent a torrent of debris and boulders crashing into the narrow lane, blocking the passage and jamming the doors and windows of surrounding houses. The landslide trapped nearly 40 people from eight families inside their homes.
The collapse also destabilised the hillside, threatening several houses located both above the wall and downhill. The impact ruptured a major drinking water pipeline and damaged an electricity pole, disrupting essential utility supplies to the entire locality.
Local MLA Ajay Solanki confirmed that emergency teams deployed to the site successfully rescued the trapped residents. Solanki urged people to avoid non-essential travel due to heightened risks on the roads.
The continuous downpour triggered landslides at multiple locations, disrupting traffic on over 250 roads and damaging more than 200 electricity transformers statewide.
On the Mandi–Kullu national highway, falling rocks near Hanogi restricted traffic to a single lane early on Friday before public works department (PWD) machinery cleared the debris.
In Solan, two occupants of an Innova Crysta car were injured and hospitalised after boulders smashed onto their vehicle on the Gambharpul-Sarli road. Waterlogging was also reported in Kala-Amb, while falling rocks damaged two vehicles overnight in the Shimla suburb of Vikasnagar.
Debris fall on a house in Sanjauli, family escapes in nick of time
A major tragedy was narrowly averted in Sanjauli, Shimla, on Friday afternoon when a massive amount of debris and rocks fell onto a house. The debris crashed onto the home of Yashpal. Two young men from the family were inside at the time but managed to run out just in time, saving their lives.
The family alleged that the threat of continuous landslides persists, posing a serious risk to the safety of the house and the residents living nearby.
The affected family has demanded that the administration immediately clear the debris and secure the hillside to prevent a major accident in the future. They warned that if necessary measures are not taken promptly, the situation could worsen in the coming days.
In response to the extreme weather conditions and an IMD orange alert, the district administrations of Sirmaur and Solan ordered the immediate closure of all government and private educational institutions, including colleges, schools, and anganwadi centres, on Friday. According to separate orders issued by the deputy commissioners of Sirmaur and Solan, Priyanka Verma and Manmohan Sharma, respectively, continuous rainfall is leading to obstruction of rural roads, increased risk of landslides and general disruption of normal life, particularly in the rural and hilly areas.Such inclement weather conditions are likely to endanger the life and safety of students commuting to and from schools across the district, the orders said.
All teaching and non-teaching staff, however, were ordered to remain present at their respective institutes, officials said.
Among the places that recorded the highest rainfall on Friday were Kasauli 145mm, Dharampur 136.8mm, Solan 113mm and Palampur 109mm. Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning were reported from Shimla, Kangra and Jot.
The persistent rain led to a drop in daytime temperatures across the state. Dehra Gopipur recorded the highest maximum temperature at 32.4°C, while Kukumseri remained the coldest with a minimum of 9.4°C.
Trees uprooted in Shimla
In Shimla, power supply was affected in some areas and an uprooted tree blocked a key road in the Banmore area near Chhota Shimla on Friday, restricting access to several residential areas, including the locality where the residences of ministers and legislators are situated.
In another incident, a tree fell on Chamyana road, restricting the traffic movement for a while, which was resumed after the tree was cleared.
Vehicular moment suspended on Sangla bridge
The vehicular movement across the Sangla bridge has been suspended due to landslide threat. Motorists are being diverted via an alternative route through the tehsil.
Spillway channel damaged in Rampur
Heavy rains have damaged the spillway channel of the Nanti Khad (stream) in the reservoir area of the Ganvi-2 Power House in Rampur, Shimla district. Following this incident, Rampur sub-divisional magisterate has urged local residents to stay away from rivers and streams. The damaged site is located near Manglu Bazaar, where a bridge situated close to the reservoir has also been affected. The water levels in the region’s streams and drains have been rising steadily due to heavy rainfall over the past few days. The strong currents exerted pressure on structures within the project area, resulting in damage to the spillway channel. However, there have been no reports of casualties or injuries. The rising water level in the Ganvi Khad poses a threat to the project’s infrastructure.
Stone laying ceremony of ICMR CHAMP at Keylong deferred
The stone laying ceremony of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Centre for High Altitude Medicine and Public Health Research at Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti, scheduled to be held on July 11, has been postponed. A revised date for the event will be communicated soon. Union health and family welfare minister Jagat Prakash Nadda was to lay the foundation stone.
