- Himachal Pradesh is rebuilding after the 2025 floods, but experts warn that the efforts ignore terrain, soil capacity and long-standing ecological risks.
- Traditional architectural styles, evolved for Himalayan conditions, should be blended with modern engineering for resilient and climate-sensitive reconstruction, say experts.
- The post-disaster reconstruction pattern will predict the future of this Himalayan state.
In Himachal Pradesh, people are increasingly adopting new architectural practices, with cement and baked bricks as the primary construction materials. While the new architecture is often seen as a marker of modernity and social mobility, architects and planners say that it’s the vernacular practices, adapted over centuries to local terrain, climate, and hazards, that can hold this Himalayan region together.
Himachal Pradesh has been hit by back-to-back extreme weather events that have changed daily life for thousands of families. The state witnessed 68% above-normal rainfall in August 2025, making it the 9th-highest August rainfall since 1901 and the highest since 1949. The monsoon season left a trail of devastation in the state, with 320 lives lost and total damage estimated at over ₹3 trillion. Approximately 1,280 houses were fully damaged, while 27,640 houses were partially damaged.
The state also witnessed intense rainfall in 2023, when it recorded 436% more rainfall in just three days (July 7-10), triggering landslides, flash floods, and significant socio-economic losses.
These incidents had a profound impact on local communities. A study conducted by Jagori, an NGO working on women’s empowerment and disaster management, documented the extent of the impact of the 2023 disaster. Conducted in Kangra district, the study found that over 63% of households suffered property damage, while 55% lost their homes. Yet, around 40% households reported receiving no government relief, and many families continue to live under temporary arrangements even in 2025. The study, conducted in response to the Himachal Pradesh National Law University’s call for the publication of disaster-related research, also noted that women and elderly residents exhibited the lowest resilience levels, with recurring stress and anxiety during the monsoon season.
In the wake of such extensive loss, the state enters a rebuilding drive that includes rebuilding homes, restoring national highways, repairing schools, and supporting agriculture and livestock. It is happening in 2025, too. But experts say the state risks repeating the very mistakes that made these regions vulnerable in the first place.
“Post-disaster reconstruction in Himachal Pradesh feels more like a race against time than a process of careful rebuilding,” said Akshita Sharma, District Coordinator, Disaster Management Project at Jagori. “In districts like Mandi, Kullu and Kangra, the priority is speed. But ecological balance and local wisdom — which once guided construction — are being ignored. Concrete buildings are replacing traditional Himachal homes that were naturally adapted to the terrain.”
New guidelines, old challenges
As rebuilding begins after the 2025 monsoon, the state government has introduced new construction rules, but experts warn they are insufficient without systemic planning reform.
Rajesh Dharmani, Himachal’s Town & Country Planning Minister, told Mongabay-India that the government has banned the construction of both residential and official buildings within 500 metres of water bodies. “Most of the affected houses were those built around rainwater streams or on structurally unsafe sites. People who built homes in the wrong places, without proper structural design, were the ones most affected,” he said.
He added that all new construction must maintain a distance of 5-7 metres from the highest flood line (HFL). Government buildings are now being located at least 700 metres away. “We are working on geospatial planning and regional development plans to regulate unsafe construction. But in a democratic setup, enforcement is the biggest challenge.”
However, experts say that without a broader planning framework, these restrictions cannot address underlying risks.
“The central government provides policies and frameworks, while the state government is responsible for regional and master plans,” said A.P. Jacob Manohar, Town and Country Planner at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). “The problem with Himachal Pradesh is that it does not have a regional plan. Such a plan should clearly demarcate no-construction zones based on the ecological fragility of the terrain.”
Manohar emphasised that two principles must guide all future reconstruction policy in the Himalayas — carrying capacity and no-development zones. “It is not just about the strength of a building but about the ability of the soil to bear weight, which depends on water, slope, vegetation, and soil type.”
Manohar highlights issues in India’s planning system: “The master plan is statutory, but hazard-zonation maps are not. Without integrating ecological and hazard data into statutory plans, reconstruction will continue in unsafe zones even after repeated disasters.”
According to Manohar, integrating hazard maps and disaster chapters into the master plan could help Himachal rebuild more safely and sustainably in the long run.
“At many places, roads have been built with culverts too small for heavy discharge,” Dharmani explained. “When rainfall exceeds capacity, the water diverts and hits houses that were once considered safe.
Architects echo the warning. Ram Kumar Kalia, architect and founder of Kalia Architects, said, “Every project should be guided by hazard zonation maps, watershed protection, and slope stability checks. Construction must be avoided in active landslide zones, floodplains, and steep gradients; otherwise, we are simply rebuilding risk.”
Architectural shift
These planning gaps also reflect a broader shift in the region, away from traditional hill architecture and toward modern styles that often ignore Himalayan terrain and hazards.
According to the locals of Dharamshala, the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh, Kath-Kuni has long been the region’s defining architectural style, once used in most houses and public buildings across the state. It is a traditional technique that uses alternating layers of wood and stone masonry, held in place without mortar.
Kath-Kuni buildings are crafted from locally available materials — deodar wood and slate stone. Each structure begins with a heavy stone plinth that forms the foundation. The walls rise in alternating layers of wood and stone, with rubble packed in between to fill the gaps. As the structure grows taller, the amount of stone gradually decreases, and the upper sections are mostly wooden frames stacked one on top of the other. The roof is finished with slate shingles; each is carefully fixed to the wooden frame.
But the traditional way of building houses no longer attracts people, and they are opting for new architectural practices, with cement and baked bricks as the primary construction materials.
Bhali Kumar, a local mason from the Rakkar area of Dharamshala, in his late 30s, has witnessed the region’s shift from vernacular to modern architecture. “Over time, most of the villages and urban areas of Himachal have started wearing a modern look, something similar to cities like Delhi,” Kumar said. “Instead of blaming the unavailability of resources like deodar, I think this shift is more ‘influential’ than anything else.”
Tourist-heavy areas like Rakkar, McLeod Ganj, Dharamkot, and Palampur have undergone rapid change. A researcher, Kiran Arora, who has studied Rakkar since 2022 for her own interest, said, “Half the population here now comprises migrants from Delhi, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and West Bengal. As they built businesses and houses, a new architectural style emerged, and locals followed.”
Given that Himachal Pradesh lies in India’s high-risk seismic zones, local masons believe the traditional design saved lives during past earthquakes. The slight inward slope of the stones in Kath-Kuni ensures that during tremors, the structure tightens rather than collapses.
Swati S. Shinde, who completed her Ph.D. from IIT-Bombay, said affected communities possess valuable lived knowledge, much of which remains undocumented. “There is a strong need to systematically map, document, and incorporate these insights into reconstruction planning,” she said.
Designers’ perspective
“We need to learn from the traditional styles and try to incorporate them in contemporary designs as much as we can,” said Hakeem Sameer Hamdani, a Kashmir-based author and conservationist. As an architect and designer himself, Hamdani strongly emphasises the need for ‘conscious designs’. According to him, it is the responsibility of every architect to inform clients about the area’s disaster risk and vulnerability before construction begins.
“In the Himalayan region, it’s necessary to learn from the old traditions because they are the tried and tested designs,” Hamdani said. “Change is necessary, but with caution.”
“Be it Dhajji-Diwari of Kashmir or Kath-Kuni of Himachal, we can’t live exactly as we did centuries ago. But engineering knowledge today must be a mix of traditions and innovations, one that respects topography, climate, and seismic activity,” he said.
Architect Kalia agreed, “We don’t need to go backwards; we need to go forward with wisdom. Traditional Himachal techniques can be integrated with modern seismic codes. For example, using timber bands with reinforced masonry or slope-based structural design. The idea is not nostalgia but resilience.”
“We need risk-informed zoning, green infrastructure, and local capacity-building, not just concrete fixes,” Kalia said.
Over 45% of Himachal Pradesh is highly prone to floods, landslides, and avalanches. Experts said combining traditional and modern methods is essential for resilient rebuilding.
Minister Dharmani also acknowledged this balance: “Traditional styles are suited for small structures, but larger buildings need RCC frameworks. Still, we encourage people to adopt hill architecture for smaller homes.”
“In the long term, we must focus on sustainability,” he added. “Until we move towards sustainable development, all efforts remain incomplete.”
Banner image: With Himachal Pradesh lying in India’s high-risk seismic zones, local masons believe that traditional design is the safest option for buildings. Image by Amir Bin Rafi.
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