Nine months later, inhabitants of Shamti are once again terrified of landslips

There are concerns that Shamti’s water supply tank break from the previous year, which resulted in the people being forced to leave their homes in July due to a 500-meter-high slope eroding, may come back to haunt them.

The main causes of the event from the previous year were determined to be land subsidence, a drinking water tank leak, and obstruction of the natural flow of water due to careless building. Numerous steps were taken to seal the several-foot-deep cracks that had formed on the slope; however, the leak from the tank has made those efforts useless.

The catastrophe that occurred last year when some 200 hectares of land were swamped affected up to 108 households. Currently, 132 homes—80 made of concrete and 52 made of kutcha—that are situated under the water tank are in danger.

A neighbor named Kamal Mehta voiced his concerns about the leaky tank, saying, “Water was continuously overflowing from a huge drinking water tank, which reflects the mismanagement of the Jal Shakti Department.” Water was running through a crack that had formed last year in the Shamti region, called Balana.

It’s a really dangerous idea since leaking water in Shamti last year severely damaged a number of dwellings. The repaired section is in danger due to the excess water that is leaking out quickly. Between the destroyed homes, water runs in sections both above and below ground, he said.

Where it had caused damage to twelve apartments in the Mehta Complex the previous year, it is back. Should water get into the foundations of even the homes that were being retrofitted, devastation may occur once again.

Additionally, a freshly fixed retaining wall installed by Mahesh Verma, a homeowner whose home was destroyed last year, has let in seepage of water. Locals ponder if the repairs were necessary given the situation.

“We realized that water seeping through the earth was also a matter for worry after last year’s disaster. Mehta expressed her opinion that the Jal Shakti Department need to give priority to resolving the issue, since it poses a hazard to the residences situated under the hill and has the potential to repeat last year’s tragic events.

Ashish Rana, the executive engineer of the Jal Shakti Department, said that the leak was looked into after the locals reported it to them three days before. It was discovered that a nearby natural water source was the source of the extensive water seepage.

Water seepage was discovered after the tank was fixed and even emptied to investigate the issue.

He continued by saying that the Solan SDM has been made aware of the problem so that the necessary steps may be done to prevent another unfortunate incidence.