Himachal records 67 quakes in three years, government steps up monitoring

Himachal Pradesh recorded 67 earthquake tremors in the three years to 1 August 2026, with the seismic activity causing an estimated Rs 7.05 lakh in damage to private property, revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi told the state legislative Assembly on Monday, 31 August.

In a written reply to a question from BJP MLA Vipin Singh Parmar, Negi said private property damage was assessed at Rs 4.55 lakh in Chamba and Rs 2.50 lakh in Lahaul-Spiti.

Chamba recorded the highest number of tremors at 26, followed by Lahaul-Spiti with 14, Kinnaur with seven, Kangra with four and Shimla with two during the period.

The strongest earthquake recorded in the state during these three years struck Chamba on 4 April 2024, measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale.

The frequency of tremors is significant given Himachal Pradesh’s location in the seismically active Himalayan belt. The Himalayas were formed by the continuing collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, leaving the region criss-crossed by active faults and making large parts of northern India vulnerable to earthquakes. Himachal Pradesh falls largely in high seismic-risk zones, while the steep terrain can compound the impact of earthquakes by triggering landslides, rockfalls and infrastructure damage.

The wider Himalayan region has experienced several devastating earthquakes, including the 1905 Kangra earthquake in Himachal Pradesh, which killed thousands of people. More recently, major earthquakes in Nepal and other parts of the Himalayan arc have highlighted the risks posed by dense settlements, expanding infrastructure and difficult terrain in an area where seismic activity remains a persistent hazard.

The state government has installed sensors and early-warning systems to provide rapid information about earthquakes, Negi said. It is also planning to expand the scientific instrumentation network to improve seismic monitoring and early-warning capabilities.

Under the National Instrumentation Network Project, around 100 scientific instruments are proposed to be installed across Himachal Pradesh. In the first phase, 10 instruments are being installed at identified locations in Bilaspur, Chamba, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Shimla and Solan districts.

Six of these have already been installed — one each in Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Mandi and Solan, and two in Chamba. The remaining installations are under way, the minister said.

The project is being implemented by the National Centre for Seismology in coordination with the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority.

While the financial damage recorded over the three-year period remains relatively small, the repeated tremors underscore the need for stronger monitoring and earthquake-resilient construction in a region where even a moderate earthquake can have consequences beyond the immediate shaking because of its fragile slopes and difficult terrain.

With PTI inputs