Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], August 8 : A massive deodar tree, which had been leaning dangerously for the last few days, collapsed onto the Environment Directorate building in Shimla this morning. Senior scientist of the State Science and Technology and Environment Directorate, Dr Suresh Kumar Atri, said that although the incident caused significant damage to the building's metal roofing and gate, luckily, there was no loss of life.
Dr Suresh Kumar Atri, while speaking to ANI on Thursday, said, "This tree had been leaning dangerously for the last few days, especially after continuous rains. We had already written to the Municipal Corporation, alerting them. Today, at around 5:30 AM, the tree broke and fell. It caused significant damage to the building's metal roofing and gate, though luckily, there was no loss of life."
On the current climate situation, Atri said, "The root cause of all this is global warming. It's leading to high-density rainfall events across not just Himachal, but the entire region. If these global conditions persist, we will face even greater threats in the future."
The monsoon fury continues to batter Himachal Pradesh, severely disrupting essential services and claiming more lives. As per the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) under the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) on Thursday, 452 roads, 861 power transformers (DTRs), and 244 water supply schemes remain disrupted across the state as of Wednesday evening due to heavy rainfall and associated calamities.
On Thursday, PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh, speaking to ANI, said, "Monsoon damage is increasing in the entire state. Our government and department are keeping a close watch on it... We are focusing on pre-disaster steps, keeping climate change and global warming in mind... We will move forward with the aim of installing as many early warning systems as possible in the state... Around 850 roads are closed in the state, out of which 400 roads will open today... The PWD department will start tenders worth Rs 600 crore in the state in the coming days, and the central government is also cooperating in this...".
While speaking to ANI on Wednesday, Himachal Pradesh Minister Jagat Singh Negi said, "There has been a lot of damage due to the rains in the last 2 days. Road connectivity has also been affected. Our 613 link roads have been affected, apart from which 4 of our NHs are also affected...428 concrete houses have been destroyed, and more than 1000 houses have been partially damaged...Livestock has also been damaged...The crops of many people have been washed away. The assessment is still going on. According to an estimate, Himachal Pradesh has suffered a loss of worth more than Rs 1600-1700 crores due to these rains...".