Rebuilding Himachal Pradesh: A Glimpse into the Recovery Efforts Post-Disaster 2023

Rebuilding Himachal Pradesh: A Glimpse into the Recovery Efforts Post-Disaster 2023

In Himachal Pradesh, the rains have wrought havoc by creating landslides, obstructing roads, outages of power, and bridge damage.

The government of Himachal Pradesh faces the difficult challenge of repairing over 1,239 roads in the state, including significant routes like Chandigarh-Manali and Kalka-Shimla, due to relentless rains that caused extensive damage to the state’s roads and infrastructure.

In Himachal Pradesh, the rains have wrought havoc by creating landslides, obstructing roads, outages of power, and bridge damage. The hill state has lost a staggering Rs 780 crore due to the torrential rain, and the amount is sure to rise given the extensive harm that has been done to roads, bridges, and water delivery facilities over the last week.

The idyllic landscape of Himachal Pradesh has been brutally ravaged by a powerful spell of rain, triggering an array of cataclysms, including massive destruction of road infrastructure, multiple landslides, and blocked highways.

The calamity is unprecedented in the recent memory of the mountain state. It has necessitated the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to consider deploying additional machinery for relief and recovery operations.

Heavy rain has caused deaths and destruction in various areas of the country, with Himachal being the hardest impacted. The path of damage that the hail left behind when it subsided will take a long time to erase.

The authorities of the northern state concentrated on rescuing and evacuating stranded residents and visitors from Manali, Lahaul and Spiti, and Shimla after the intensity of the rains subsided.

Since Monday night, when it last rained, the rescue efforts and road repair work have picked up speed. In the meantime, flooding persisted in several regions of Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh, its neighbouring states.

With numerous arterial highways and minor roads blocked due to landslides, mobility across the state has come to a grinding halt. Major highways such as the Chandigarh-Manali NH-21, Shimla-Kalka NH-5, and Pathankot-Mandi NH-154 have witnessed extensive damage, severing crucial road links and disrupting daily life.

Local towns and villages, particularly those in Kinnaur, Mandi, and Shimla regions, have borne the brunt of this devastation. Landslides triggered by the constant rainfall have wiped out significant sections of the highway, leaving gaping chasms that further impede recovery.

The disruption of road infrastructure has impacted not only the transport of people but also the movement of essential supplies. Many remote areas in the state struggle with a shortage of essential commodities like food, medicines, and fuel, exacerbated by the lack of access.

Since the weekend, a section of the national highway between Chandigarh and Manali known as Six Mile near Mandi has been closed. According to the officials, the roadway was reportedly closed in four locations, three of which were scheduled to be unblocked by Tuesday. However, the national route is still being blocked by a 150-meter-wide rockslide.

According to estimates, at least 1,239 state highways were impassable for the third day, and authorities are working to reestablish road connections in Manali, Kasol, and Parvati Valley.

In the meantime, the hill state’s leadership urged the Union government to restore the impassable national roadways as soon as possible.

The rain-induced landslides have been notably destructive, causing colossal damage to properties and posing a significant threat to human life. This year’s monsoon season has seen a spike in the frequency and intensity of landslides, making them a recurring nightmare for the local populace.

These landslides are not just isolated events but part of an escalating pattern fueled by climate change, deforestation, and unregulated construction practices in ecologically sensitive zones. The authorities’ inability to monitor and regulate these activities has undoubtedly played a part in exacerbating the crisis.

The NHAI is considering deploying additional machinery and human resources to counter this unprecedented catastrophe. The authority’s priority is restoring connectivity and ensuring essential commodities’ smooth flow.

However, the restoration work is fraught with challenges. The volatile weather conditions complicate the relief efforts, while the rough terrain poses considerable risks to the workers. In some areas, even reaching the site of damage is a task due to the extensive destruction of access routes.

Cleaning the national highways is the job of the NHAI, according to Mukesh Agnihotri, the Deputy Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, who was speaking with the media. Additionally, the deputy CM encouraged the NHAI to send out additional equipment to repair the roadways and return things to normal.

Agnihotri noted that initiatives are being taken to reopen the roads within the next 48 hours. The devastation, however, is significant, and it will take some time to remove the stones off the roadways, according to officials. Additionally, officials said the weather will affect how quickly the restoration is completed.

Nevertheless, the NHAI, in collaboration with state public works departments and local authorities, is working round the clock to mitigate the impact of this disaster. Their efforts include:

The construction of temporary roads.

The removal of landslide debris.

The implementation of traffic management measures to ensure the safe and controlled movement of vehicles wherever possible.

The recent deluge and its consequent destruction have underscored the vulnerability of Himachal Pradesh’s road infrastructure to extreme weather events. As the state grapples with this calamity, it is time for stakeholders to reconsider their strategies and invest in robust, climate-resilient infrastructure that can withstand such adversities.

As unnecessary rainfall obstructs roadways, the state administration has sought the Centre to send Indian Air Force helicopters to the tribal regions, particularly Chandratal in the Lahaul and Spiti districts, to ferry standard visitors.

At Chandratal Lake campgrounds, which are at an altitude of around 14,100 feet, there are over 300 visitors who are stuck and are most likely to be flown soon.

The Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) has halted bus service on 1416 routes due to highway road obstructions brought on by severe rain and many landslides. The depth of the death toll and property damage in north India became apparent on Tuesday as the three-day assault of downpours ended. Himachal Pradesh, which had recorded 18 fatalities until Monday, saw the death toll rise to 31, while adjoining Uttarakhand had five fatalities. The three states of Rajasthan, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh recorded one fatality attributable to the rain.

In the long term, authorities must also address the underlying causes, such as deforestation and unregulated construction, which intensify the impact of such events. These changes and effective disaster management strategies could significantly enhance the state’s preparedness and resilience against future climate-induced disasters.

As for now, the primary focus remains on recovery and relief operations to restore normalcy to the affected regions as swiftly as possible. The road to recovery might be long and arduous, but the collective resilience and determination of the authorities and the people are indeed steering Himachal Pradesh in the right direction.