Unbridled Development And Climate Change Push Shimla To The Brink 

Shimla has declined from the erstwhile summer capital of British India to a landslide town where buildings collapse after every spell of rain, particularly during the monsoons. Last Friday, a massive landslide next to Shimla’s century-old St Edward's School (famous for alumni such as Mohammad Hamid Ansari, former Vice President of India, and Bipin Singh Rawat, former Defense Chief), forced the Shimla administration to order the immediate closure of the school as a precautionary step.

The landslide endangered a multi-story residential block and brought traffic on Shimla’s busiest Cart Road—a lifeline of the town—to a halt. The site of this landslide is just a few feet away from the one that occurred in the last monsoons. Experts, who have been repeatedly warning us about emerging dangers, admit that Shimla is bearing the price of reckless over-construction, overstressed infrastructure, and clogged stormwater drains. The hills are crumbling under an overload of buildings, built on fragile slopes and vertical gradients.

Vijay Uppal, a former chief architect with the Himachal Pradesh government, describes the situation as completely ‘unretrievable’ and scary. Increasing extreme weather events and mounting climate change risks are finally breaking Shimla’s resilience. “Hills are like babies, sleeping. If you poke them, they are going to let out a roar. It’s now upon you to listen and respond wisely or face the unleashed fury of the slopes,” he explains.

The landslide also claimed the residential blocks built on a highly fragile slope. They were built after dismantling of a few old cottages. Some trees standing at the site, which were holding up the slopes, were felled, and a traditional drain was blocked.

Himland Hotel, one of Shimla’s first tourism ventures, located a few metres away, also felt the aftershocks of two landslides. “My father built this (Himland) property in 1964, after he executed a landmark Snowdown Hospital project. It was the town’s first RCC building and it happened to be earthquake-resistant too. What is happening in our neighbourhood on the slope facing our hotel is making us worry. The safest buildings of Shimla are under threat,” says Umesh Arke.

Shimla is sliding because it has far exceeded its carrying capacity. This was a key observation that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) placed on record while imposing a ban on new constructions, especially in the core and green areas of Shimla in 2017. However, last year the Supreme Court set aside the ban, permitting construction even in green areas. Since then, there has been a fresh spurt in construction activities after the incumbent government also made the attic area habitable. 

Uppal also notes that every growing town requires proportional civic infrastructure. Adequate sewage systems, water supply, electricity, roads, footpaths, and parking facilities are essential to sustain life. A rising population further strains public transport networks, placing additional pressure on already stretched services. 

The high-rise buildings, Uppal says, are built on loose strata. There is hardly any solid rock base. In some cases, the soil quality is awful and can’t take a one- or two-story load, but people keep adding floors and put their own lives as well as that of others in danger.

He also points out that every expanding town also needs corresponding civic infrastructure, including augmentation of sewage systems, water, electricity, roads, pathways, parking spaces, etc. Further, an increasing population also puts pressure on the public transport system. Overflowing sewage and blocked drains make excess water seep into the soil. The over-saturated slopes, after relentless rains, eventually turn unstable and slowly crumble. 

Historically, the town was designed by the Britishers for a population of 20,000-25,000. It exceeded the three-lakh mark long back, and now the town is on the edge of disaster.

Battered by relentless monsoon rains, clogged stormwater drains, and an overstressed infrastructure, Shimla stands on shaky ground after years of haphazard construction, not leaving any open spaces or British-era nullahs used to carry natural runoffs and also sullage.

Harsh Mahajan, a Rajya Sabha member who has also served as minister for Housing and Urban Development, says that the larger blame for making Shimla a highly vulnerable town goes to the government and its agencies, but he also points out that the public consciousness of the environment is lacking.

“The safety of citizens is paramount. Shimla falls in a seismically fragile zone, yet the government has allowed seven- to nine-story buildings to be built, despite closing its eyes to illegal constructions. Cracks in multi-story buildings, sinking roads, and collapsing retaining walls have turned the state capital into a danger zone,” he admits.

Shimla, from Ridge to Lakkar Bazaar to Tutikandi, Bhathacufar, and Kacchighati, bears the scars of subsidence. The British-era Dhalli tunnel is cracking. Now, several vertically raised buildings stand at its top with clogged drains and seeping water.

Climate change has only intensified the fragility—prolonged monsoon spells, cloudbursts, and unscientific drainage have saturated the soil, triggerring landslides and sinking foundations, says S.S. Randhawa, former principal scientist at HP State Council for Science and Technology.

“Prolonged monsoon rains and sudden cloudbursts are saturating the soil. Without proper drainage, the excess water seeps in, loosening slopes and foundations,” explains Professor Surjit Singh Randhawa, an environmental scientist. Natural disasters and human-induced activities have increased the risk to lives and property. The Himalayas are sending clear warning signals and calling for drastic policy changes and strict enforcement of laws.