Heavy rains continue to batter Himachal Pradesh, with landslides, cloudbursts, flash floods, and many deaths since the beginning of the monsoon.

The devastation due to torrential rains this year has been the worst in the hill state, with many pointing to the costs of careless construction. But what can explain the scale of the disaster in the hill state? Was it an extreme climate mess? Could the government have tackled it any better? What does it mean for other habitats across the country?

Newslaundry found that the impact on the state’s tourism industry and its apple farms has been even worse than the economic loss due to the Covid pandemic. While the government has been able to take note of the disaster in towns and areas near the roads, the damage in many remote villages is yet to be accounted for. 

Even all-weather highways have not been able to resist the might of this monsoon fury.

Amid this, villagers are also pointing to the hydroelectric projects for the rise in the river level, and the sudden release of water from dams. 

In case you missed it, here is a sample of our reports:

• ‘Hit worse than Covid’: Despair shrouds Himachal’s orchards and hotels after flood

• ‘River didn’t come to us, we went to it’: How NHAI’s ‘all-weather’ highways eroded in Himachal

• ‘Our lives are set back 25 years’: In Himachal, a village loses everything to floods

• ‘No coordination, greed’: Buried in Himachal rubble, questions over hydropower projects

• You can also watch these video reports from the state here, here, here and here.

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