Kullu: Panic spread in Tosh, the last motorable village in the Parvati valley of Kullu district, on Thursday after the flow of a rivulet was blocked 2km upstream, prompting the local administration to sound an alert amid fears of an artificial lake forming.
The water flow of Jira nullah, which feeds a small private hydro project near the village which is popular among backpackers, stopped around 2am on Thursday. Employees of the 4MW private hydel project, owned by Kapil Mohan and Associates Hydro Power Private Ltd and built on the Jira nullah, were the first ones to inform the district administration.
A team led by Kullu sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Vikas Shukla immediately reached Tosh in the morning. After assessing the situation, the SDM ordered the evacuation of a few hotels and guest houses located near Jira Nullah, and an alert was sounded in the area to not go near the rivulet and the Parvati river. Shukla told TOI that the flow of water could have been obstructed by a landslide. “The water flow of Jira nullah was around 2km upstream from Tosh village and poses a threat to downstream areas, including the project. As a precautionary measure, residents living along the bank of the nullah are being relocated to safer locations,” said Shukla.
He said a team was sent to find out the obstruction in the nullah which is a tributary to the Parvati. “We have sent a team of experts upstream to find out the cause of why the water flow stopped after attempts made by drones failed. We have also issued an alert and urged people to stay away from the Jira nullah and the Parvati till the situation becomes clear,” added Shukla.
According to Surender Kumar, a Tosh resident and member of the village panchayat, the village is “quite safe for now”. “Tosh is located at a safe distance of more than 200 metres from the nullah and hence it has not been evacuated. But there are many hotels and guest houses, and even a private project right on this nullah, and may suffer damages if the obstructed water flows down in the form of a flood,” said Kumar. The dam site and powerhouse of the project suffered damage last year in July after the Jira nullah got flooded. A few shops and bridges of Tosh village were also swept away in the flood, and some hotels were also damaged. The water flow could not be restored till the filing of this report.
Breach detected in obstruction
According to Kullu SDM Vikas Shukla, a breach was detected in the blockage on Thursday evening. “The team that we sent upstream to find out the cause of the blockage reported a breach and that a small amount of water also started trickling down. The team’s efforts were also hampered by heavy snow and rains, and they couldn’t climb beyond a certain point. We are monitoring the situation and hopefully the obstruction will be cleared by tomorrow,” said Shukla.
