landslide-blocks-chandigarh-manali-highway-near-pandoh

A major landslide hit the Chandigarh–Manali National Highway near Kainchi Mod in the Pandoh area of Mandi district on Friday morning, blocking traffic between Mandi and Kullu. The road has suffered heavy damage and is currently not usable.

 

The Mandi police said repair work is going on, but given the extent of the damage, it may take time to fully restore the road.

The movement of heavy vehicles had been stopped, and the vehicles are being parked at Nagchala and Jhiri to avoid traffic jams and ensure safety.

 

An alternate route through Kamand–Kataula is open, but only for light motor vehicles. Due to narrow and hilly roads, only small vehicles are being allowed on this route.

 

Officials have advised people to travel only if absolutely necessary and to follow police instructions.

This stretch of the highway is a key link to Kullu, Manali, Lahaul, Spiti, and even Leh–Ladakh. So, disruptions like this affect travel and essential supplies in a big way.

 

Four-lane highway near Diyod collapses

 

A large part of the Kiratpur–Manali four-lane highway near Diyod in Mandi district was damaged on Friday due to continuous land subsidence caused by heavy rainfall over the past few days. Traffic movement in the area was disrupted because of the damaged road.

 

Locals said cracks had started appearing on the road a few days ago. The non-stop rain made things worse, and a significant part of the road collapsed. As a result, traffic was restricted to just one lane, and police were deployed to manage the situation.

 

This is not the first time this stretch of road has faced issues. In 2023, a similar problem occurred and the National Highways Authority of India had built a retaining wall to fix it. But the area remains unstable, and falling boulders this year have again damaged the road.

 

Varun Chari, Project Director of the highway, said “Subsidence occurred after boulders fell from the hills, particularly in the area where a retaining wall was constructed in 2023. The strata in this zone is inherently loose, which is the core reason of perennial instability.”

 

Temporary repairs are now being done to keep traffic moving, and experts, a geologist and a hydrologist, have been brought in to study the terrain and suggest long-term solutions.