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Barely a month after hill stations Kullu-Manali, Shimla and Dalhousie experienced snowfall and extreme cold, the state’s mid-hill town — Bilaspur, 115 km from Shimla, is facing an unusual effect of climate change. The town experienced water seeping into its homes and other properties on Saturday, March 19. This has also shocked the local administration. Many families called the officials seeking help because they couldn’t understand the problem or its widespread reach in the town, which is located on Chandigarh–Manali Highway uphill Gobind Sagar Lake.
A team of engineers and hydrologists from Snow and Avalanches Establishment, Manali, visited Bilaspur’s houses on Sunday morning. “The experts identified two primary factors after their visit to the houses. One is condensation, the other is hydrostatic pressure. Yet, this needs an in-depth study of the whole phenomena for reaching a definite conclusion, as this has happened for the first time,” says Pankaj Rai, Deputy Commissioner, Bilaspur.
The DC Bilaspur said there is no need to panic, but he was surprised by the situation. “I was astonished to see water dripping from the floors and walls. Strangely, these houses were not affected by flooding or rain. There was no water pipe in the vicinity to suspect leakage. I have written to the state hydrologist and SASE to further investigate the issue,” informs Pankaj Rai.
Local businessman Shyam Angre says, “We noticed the moisture and dampness on the walls on Friday. My family noticed that the entire floor of our bedroom, as well as other spaces, was soaked in water. We checked all fittings, taps and water pipes but found no signs of leakage or blockade.” In all, over 70 houses in several localities viz Rauda Sector, Cinema Colony, Lakhanpur, Main Market, Diara Sector, Sector 11, and areas in nearby suburban towns of Ghumarwin, Beri Rajadyan and Barathi, also reported a similar problem. These photos and videos were also viral.
Bilaspur was built in the 1960s after the submergence of old Bilaspur town in the Sutlej river following damming of the water for the country’s first mega multi-purpose hydel project—Bhakra. To create a new township, the population was moved to higher ground. The Gobind Sagar – a massive reservoir in the foothills of Bilaspur has its cooling effect on the town but the day temperature rises above 40 degree C in peak summer.
Shyam Angre believes that water seepage is caused by temperature variations. “The days have suddenly become warm, and we require fans and air conditioners. We need blankets or quilts for the night. This is quite unprecedented in this month of March, though Bilaspur turns very warm in June-July,” Angre says.
Pankaj Rai also stated that some locals felt the sudden rise in temperature (approximately 33% on March 19), which could have been the highest March temperature. As MeT officials have acknowledged, there is a wide variation in the minimum temperature and maximum temperature. Raj Kumar, a manager at a local business enterprise, says “mysterious waters” started coming out of the walls and floor of his house on Friday. “Within a few minutes, the entire space turned wet and looked completely deluged. We were very panicked. We checked with neighbours, and they found a similar problem.”
Monty Sharma, a college professor from the Rauda region, also reported water leaking from the house his ancestors built in the 1970s. “We tried to sweep the water and dry the floor by switching on ceiling fans, but within minutes the water was dripping back all over from the walls and oozing from the floor as well,” says Sharma, adding that even some of the aged locals had never witnessed such a thing in their lives. Una, a nearby district, also reports water leaking from floors and walls of houses.
Anand Sharma, a retired MeT Director at Dehradun, says, “The matter needs a detailed study as such a thing had never been reported. It’s a fact that temperatures have shot up suddenly in the north, including the capital city of Delhi. The hills which were experiencing snowfall last month, are reporting maximum temperatures up to 35-38 degrees this month.” Several recent studies have shown that climatic changes and extreme weather conditions in the hills are on the rise. “If there are no rains in one week or so, there could be incidents of forest fires, water crisis and related effects on agriculture and horticulture crops in the Himalayan belt,” Sharma cautions.
