The first heavy rains of the monsoon season brought misery to the residents of Shimla in Himachal Pradesh. On the night of June 28, over three hours of continuous downpour led to debris and sludge entering buildings and washing away retaining walls in some areas of the city.
Areas like Mehli and Malyana on the outskirts of Shimla bore the brunt of the rains. In Mehli, rainwater mixed with debris clogged drains causing the torrent to gush onto roads. The slurry then made its way down slopes, entering houses around 500 meters from the roads. Residents like Pushpa Thakur found their balconies and lower floors filled with mud after midnight. They feared for their safety in the situation. Locals have complained to authorities in the past as well regarding this issue but no permanent solution was found.
In Malyana, debris dumped along roads by the Public Works Department came crashing down due to the heavy rainfall. Three vehicles were buried under massive piles of rubble. Locals had to dig them out in the morning. Resident Kuldeep Thakur lamented that their natural water sources were also destroyed due to dumping of debris on hillsides by the department.
The weather bureau has issued an orange alert for Himachal Pradesh over the next few days, warning of very heavy to extremely heavy rains in various areas. This can lead to flooding, landslides, disruption of basic services, and loss of lives and property. On June 28 alone, state capital Shimla received 84.3mm of rainfall, indicating an active monsoon spell has set in.
