“Shimla district is located in a geographically vulnerable region of the Himalayas, where unplanned urban expansion, the impact of climate change and constantly changing rainfall patterns have increased the risk of natural disasters such as landslides and flash floods. Therefore, the need for sustainable disaster risk reduction and resilient development has become more important than ever,” said Deputy Commissioner (DC) Shimla, Anupam Kashyap here on Thursday.
He said this while chairing a meeting held via video conferencing regarding the administration’s preparedness for possible disasters during the monsoon season. The meeting was attended by all the Sub Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) of the district. The meeting aimed to ensure the safety of people and property along with effectively dealing with potential natural disasters during monsoons.
During the meeting, the DC directed all the SDMs to hold a review meeting on monsoon preparations in July, August and September on 10, 20, and 30 of each month. He instructed the SDMs to submit the report on the next day of the meeting, which will be mandatory.
He also directed all Patwaris to submit reports on the damage caused during the monsoon, including videos and photographs. “Any negligence in the report will not be tolerated,” he remarked.
He stated that the administration’s priority is to safeguard the life, property and critical infrastructures during the monsoon season as well as to minimize the risk of heavy rainfall, flooding, waterlogging, landslides and other natural disasters. “The administration has strengthened pre-monsoon planning, coordination and preparedness among all relevant departments. Special emphasis is being laid on identifying vulnerable areas, assessing available resources, implementing timely warning systems, effective relief and rescue operations and maintaining the continuity of essential services. Furthermore, coordination between various departments and public awareness have also been prioritised,” he said.
The DC said the district administration is inspecting national and state highways along with bridges, drainage systems in urban and rural areas. “Vulnerable roadways are identified and necessary repairs and maintenance work is being completed in a timely manner. Additionally, warning signs are being installed in landslide and flood-prone areas and arrangements have been made to provide timely information about alternative routes to the public in case of road blockages. All departments have been asked to identify vulnerable locations and critical infrastructure in their respective areas and prepare proposals under the State Disaster Mitigation Fund. A total of 219 disaster response kits have been distributed in the Rohru, Jubbal, Kupvi, Chopal, Rampur, Nankhari and Chowara areas under the Panchayat Emergency Response Plan,” he said.
He said that the district administration has directed all departments to regularly monitor landslide-prone areas, ensure prompt dissemination of weather warnings and prepare contingency plans to ensure uninterrupted supply of essential services such as electricity, drinking water, communications and transportation. Instructions have also been given to maintain coordination with the police, SDRF, NDRF, army and paramilitary forces, identify safe relief camps, regulate tourist movement in vulnerable areas during heavy rainfall and conduct public awareness campaigns to prevent waterborne and infectious diseases.
“The district administration has strengthened its preparedness based on experiences from incidents such as the Shiv Baori Temple landslide at Summerhill in 2023 and the cloudburst and flash flood in the Samej area of Rampur subdivision in 2024. These incidents resulted in loss of life, disruption of roads and public services and significant damage to buildings, agriculture, horticulture, hydroelectric projects and transportation networks,” he said.
He also appealed to the people to strictly adhere to the warnings issued by the State’s Meteorological Centre, by avoiding unnecessary travel during rains. People have also been appealed to not to venture towards landslide and flood prone areas and to immediately contact the District Emergency Operations Centre or the administration in case of any emergency.
