As rain continues to pound Himachal, government bans all mining activities till September

3 min readShimlaJul 9, 2026 10:40 PM IST

Beas river flows in spate after heavy rain, in Kullu, Wednesday. (PTI Photo)

A retaining wall in Shimla’s Auckland area collapsed damaging five vehicles while flash floods submerged a 100-foot iron bridge, cutting off Lippa village from other areas in Kinnaur on Thursday as heavy rain continued to pound Himachal Pradesh, officials said. In a related development, Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan said a complete ban has been imposed on mining activities in state till September in view of the monsoon.

Chauhan said the state government is fully prepared to tackle potential disasters during the monsoon and instructions have been issued to all deputy commissioners, and adequate funds made available for relief and rescue operations.

Meanwhile, the traffic movement on Kalka-Shimla National Highway near Kumarhatti in Solan district was disrupted by falling boulders and debris. Earthmovers were pressed in to open the highway and restore traffic movement.

Project Director, NHAI, Anand Dhaiya said, “Two JCB machines removed the boulders and debris near Kumarhatti. We have deputed eight to nine JCB machines on the entire Kalka-Shimla highway and provided the cellphone numbers of the machines operators to the district administration concerned.”

At Auckland in Shimla, the retaining wall gave way suddenly, causing two vehicles parked on top of the structure to slide downhill along with the debris and crash into three vehicles parked below. All five vehicles sustained significant damage.

A similar incident was reported near Agarwal Dharamshala in Shimla, where the retaining wall of a Municipal Corporation parking facility collapsed amid incessant rainfall. Two parked vehicles slid down with the collapsed wall, while rocks and debris damaged four other vehicles parked below.

In Kinnaur, a flash flood in the Pager Khad near Lippa village brought large quantities of mud, boulders and debris, posing a threat to several houses located along the stream. A 100-ft iron bridge connecting the village was completely submerged cutting off the village. Following information about the incident, BDC member Shashi Negi visited the affected area to assess the situation.

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Sirmaur district too witnessed continuous heavy rainfall over the past two days, causing rivers and seasonal streams to swell. In Paonta Sahib, waterlogging was reported from several localities due to the ongoing monsoon showers.

Keeping in view the prevailing weather conditions, the district administration has declared a holiday on July 10 for all schools, Anganwadi centres and other educational institutions in Paonta Sahib subdivision. SDM Paonta Sahib Dwij Goyal said, “The decision was taken as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of students.”

The Shimla Met Office issued a yellow alert for heavy rains at isolated places in the state till July 15.