The Serious 2018 Summer Water Crisis in Shimla

Considered by many to be the “Queen of Hills,” Shimla will go down in history as having experienced its darkest period during the summer of 2018. The severe water scarcity that the people of this well-liked hill station experienced caused it to descend into a state of unrest and general mayhem. The residents of the six natural water resources i.e. Ashwani Khadd, Nauti Khadd, Giri Khadd, Churat Nallah, Chair Nallah, and Dhalli Catchment were severely deprived of water due to water rationing, which resulted in extremely limited water supplies that were insufficient to meet even the necessities for other basic needs, let alone enough drinking water. The government authorities had to close the schools. The town’s main industry, tourism, took a hit when hotels had to revoke reservations. This serious catastrophe was caused by a number of variables, the main one being climate change. Due to the significant changes in climate, Shimla saw very little snowfall in the winter and very little rainfall during the previous monsoon season, which caused the natural water resources to dry up. After analyzing the rain precipitation data from the preceding six years, it was discovered that 2017 saw a significant drop in rainfall. In order to ensure a better and more secure future for this lovely colonial town, the government and the locals must act quickly to address this worrying issue and restore the natural water eco-balance.