Landslides Due to Rain in India
- 14 years ago
A portion of a historic ridge in Shimla city in India sinks amidst heavy flooding in the region. It's been raining intensely in the region for two weeks now.
A historic mall built on a ridge in India's northern state of Himachal Pradesh sank on Monday.
Blame has been placed on torrential rains that have hit in the region over the past two weeks.
The ridge is a large open space, located in the heart of Shimla. A wooden craft market is situated downhill on the eastern end.
Many shops in the Tibetan market downhill were damaged and are still under threat.
[Tsering, Shopkeeper, Tibetan Market]: (Hindi)
"In 2008 heavy rains caused the whole Tibetan market to sink and now we face the same situation...We all are in danger."
Tibetan refugees managing the market want the government to repair and rebuild the area.
The famous Gaiety Theatre, a heritage structure, now looks over a six-foot-deep cave-in.
The ridge houses a large water reservoir which is also in jeopardy.
The mayor of Shimla says there's likely to be a cave-in whenever there's heavy rain.
[Madhu Sood, Mayor, Shimla]: (Hindi)
"In past years heavy rains have always caused the ridge to sink, we found out that the water tank was built on debris. The earth caves in resulting in huge damage and people face a lot of problems."
Municipal authorities have warned everyone to stay away from the area, as the land may sink again.
Repair work is in full swing with government laborers working around the clock to prevent further damage.
A historic mall built on a ridge in India's northern state of Himachal Pradesh sank on Monday.
Blame has been placed on torrential rains that have hit in the region over the past two weeks.
The ridge is a large open space, located in the heart of Shimla. A wooden craft market is situated downhill on the eastern end.
Many shops in the Tibetan market downhill were damaged and are still under threat.
[Tsering, Shopkeeper, Tibetan Market]: (Hindi)
"In 2008 heavy rains caused the whole Tibetan market to sink and now we face the same situation...We all are in danger."
Tibetan refugees managing the market want the government to repair and rebuild the area.
The famous Gaiety Theatre, a heritage structure, now looks over a six-foot-deep cave-in.
The ridge houses a large water reservoir which is also in jeopardy.
The mayor of Shimla says there's likely to be a cave-in whenever there's heavy rain.
[Madhu Sood, Mayor, Shimla]: (Hindi)
"In past years heavy rains have always caused the ridge to sink, we found out that the water tank was built on debris. The earth caves in resulting in huge damage and people face a lot of problems."
Municipal authorities have warned everyone to stay away from the area, as the land may sink again.
Repair work is in full swing with government laborers working around the clock to prevent further damage.