Why Shimla is crumbling Premium

Developmental strategies for the Himalayan region should prioritise climate resilience instead of solely pursuing unguided infrastructure expansion.

Rains have recently wreaked havoc in Himachal Pradesh, particularly Shimla. Heavy precipitation in the Summer Hill area of the State capital resulted in flash floods and the collapse of a temple which claimed over 15 lives. A landslide led to the destruction of many buildings in Krishnanagar area and left two dead. Landslides around Shimla have damaged roads and brought life to a standstill.

This is not unprecedented. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report states that the coastal areas and the Himalayas are poised to experience a rise in extreme climate events and a shift in rainfall patterns. Consequently, the developmental strategies for the Himalayan region should prioritise climate resilience instead of solely pursuing unguided infrastructure expansion.

Regrettably, in Shimla, infrastructure development has not been climate smart. An analysis of several incidents reveals a pattern. In Summer Hill, the temple was constructed within a gorge. This was also the location of a water supply system for Totu, a suburb of Shimla. In Krishnanagar, houses were erected atop water bauris (natural water springs). When structures come up in areas closely linked to a water source, they become susceptible to disasters. There are around 25 major springs and over 100 water bauris in Shimla.

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The shift in building strategies began after the 1990s, facilitated by the advent of reinforced cement concrete. A prime example of this transformation is the New Shimla region, which was known for paddy cultivation. This area spans numerous water bodies. Empowered by the strength of reinforced cement concrete, people believed that water flow could be controlled and directed, leading to deliberate human settlements in water spaces, including ravines. Two significant development projects have been established directly atop substantial water springs and nallahs (water channels): the Himachal Pradesh High Court Lawyers Chambers and the new Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital building. They have been constructed on waterways that remain perennial, but can become tumultuous during the monsoon season.

The recent heavy precipitation at Summer Hill raises concerns about the fate of such substantial infrastructure funded by public resources. Typically, matters related to land use should be addressed within a comprehensive development plan, often referred to as the city’s master plan. However, Shimla has been run with an interim development plan since 1979. Adding to this complexity, the planning for Shimla is not overseen by the elected city government. Instead, it falls under the jurisdiction of a parastatal, namely the town and country planning department, which operates without any democratic oversight and relies heavily on computer-simulated plans, often guided by inputs from large technological consultancy firms.

Currently, the Shimla Development Plan (SDP) is pending before the Supreme Court. One critical oversight of the current SDP is the absence of a climate action plan that should ideally precede it. The existing SDP appears to be primarily focused on creating urban spaces with designations like ‘core’ and ‘open heritage’; yet it lacks the necessary emphasis on addressing climate-related challenges.