Mandi/Shimla, Sept 3,
The fury of the monsoon has turned Kunduni village in Jogindernagar subdivision into a ghost settlement overnight, as relentless landslides forced the evacuation of all 24 families on Wednesday. What was once a cluster of ancestral homes and fertile fields now lies buried under debris, with the collapsing hillside still threatening to erase whatever remains.
Ten houses have been reduced to rubble, while several others stand cracked and unsafe. At least six more structures are at imminent risk as the hill behind the settlement continues to give way under the weight of incessant rains.
“The administration shifted the entire population to relief camps early this morning. Their food and immediate needs are being taken care of,” confirmed SDM Jogindernagar Manish Chaudhary.
The exodus was heartbreaking—many women broke down while leaving homes that had sheltered generations, carrying only a few essentials and leading livestock to safety. Fields of maize and paddy, the villagers’ lifeline, have also been flattened by boulders and slush, deepening the blow.
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For the 150 displaced residents, the uncertainty is overwhelming. “Our homes are gone, our land is gone. Where will we start again?” asked a villager, standing in the rain outside the makeshift camp.
The red alert for more heavy rain in Mandi has added urgency to calls for rehabilitation. Experts point out that Kunduni is not an isolated case—fragile Himalayan slopes are becoming increasingly prone to collapse under erratic monsoon bursts. Each such incident adds to the growing list of climate-induced displacements in Himachal Pradesh.
While the administration’s immediate response ensured no loss of human life, the larger challenge now lies in rebuilding lives. With their village no longer habitable, residents of Kunduni may never return, marking yet another silent erasure from Himachal’s map.
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