The flow of Chenab river has been blocked due to a massive landslide near Junda Village of Himachal’s Lahaul-Spiti district in Himachal Pradesh on Friday. Some villages, including Jarsath, are under threat. The water has entered four houses and the families have been shifted to safer places. Some cowsheds and cattle have also been moved to safer areas.
As precautionary measures, all the villages along Chenab are on alert and people have been evacuated from the low lying areas of nearby villages. Although some water is now flowing out of the dam from one corner, there is danger of bursting of the dam. Earlier, massive avalanches had blocked the flow of Chenab but it is for the first time that a landslide has blocked flow of Chenab river. A few decades back, when Chenab was blocked for almost a full day because of snow avalanche, it had wreaked havoc in downstream as bursting of the dam had damaged many bridges, washed away roads and agricultural lands.
“Taking precautionary measures, all the downstream villages have been evacuated. The river water is now flowing over the debris. The situation is under control.” said Lahaul-Spiti SP Manav Verma
