Major Disasters occured in Himachal Pradesh :

1905 Kangra earthquake :

The 1905 Kangra earthquake occurred in the Kangra Valley and the Kangra region of the Punjab Province (modern day Himachal Pradesh) in India on 4 April 1905. The earthquake measured 7.8 on the surface wave magnitude scale and killed more than 20,000 people. Apart from this, most buildings in the towns of Kangra, Mcleodganj and Dharamshala were destroyed.

The calculated epicenter of the earthquake lies within the zone of thrusts along the front of the Himalayas formed by the continuing collision of the Indian plate into the Eurasian plate.

As many as 100,000 buildings were reported to have been demolished by the earthquake. At least 20,000 people are estimated to have been killed and 53,000 domestic animals were also lost. There was also major damage to the network of hillside aqueducts that fed water to the affected area. The total cost of recovering from the effects of the earthquake were calculated as 2.9 million (1905) rupees.

1975 Kinnaur earthquake :

The 1975 Kinnaur earthquake occurred in the 19 January 1975. It had a magnitude of 6.8 on the surface wave magnitude scale and a maximum perceived intensity of IX (Violent) on the Mercalli intensity scale, causing extensive damage in Himachal Pradesh, in northern India. Its epicentre was in Kinnaur district in the southeastern part of Himachal Pradesh and caused 47 casualties. Landslides, rock falls and avalanches caused major damage to the Hindustan-Tibet Road. The earthquake affected many monasteries and buildings in the state and led to an extensive restoration work in the late 1970s and early 1980s in Himachal Pradesh. The Spiti and Parachu valleys in particular suffered the greatest damage being on the north-south Kaurik-Chango fault, causing damage to landmarks such as Key Monastery and Tabo Monastery.

2012 Himalayan flash floods :

2012 Himalayan flash floods are the floods that occurred on the midnight of August 3, 2012 in the Himalayan region of Northern Indian states. Many were dead and missing. Many places were affected. Landslides and flash floods were triggered by a sudden cloudburst which left 31 people dead while 40 are reported to be missing.

Flash floods hit the Palchan region in Himachal Pradesh. Two bridges and a road which connects Manali to Rohtang were washed away on the night August 4, 2012. About 120 people have been evacuated from the affected areas. A government school, an under construction hydropower project and many electricity poles were washed away in the floods.

2014 Beas River Tragedy :

2014 Beas River disaster refers to the 8 June 2014 drowning of 24 second-year engineering students (6 female and 18 male) and one tour operator from V.N.R. Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology of Hyderabad at the Beas River in Himachal Pradesh. The accident took place in the Thalout area (Shalanala Village) of Mandi district and was the result of a sudden surge of river water released upstream from the Larji hydro electric project.

The dam water was released suddenly by the dam authorities without prior notice.

Authorities deployed over 550 rescue team members including divers from NDRF, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and Indo-Tibetan Border Police ITBP, Indian Army, Indian Navy, the Paramilitary, the local firemen and policemen, and a private team of swimmers and divers trained by the Additional DGP of Police (Sports) in Telangana. UAVs, multi-beam sonar, and lidar were also deployed to trace missing students along the 15 km stretch from Larji Dam to Pandoh Dam.The bodies of all 23 students and the tour guide were recovered.

2016  forest fires :

Fires destroy biodiversity directly and have more indirect long-term impacts including the encouragement of fire and pioneer species. It has been suggested that the dark carbon dust emitted by the fires deposited on Himalayan glaciers could hasten their melting. This could affect the hydrology of the rivers that are a source of water for human populations in northern India. The average temperature of northern India saw increase of 0.2 °C.

Seven fatalities were reported as of 4 May 2016. The Pinegrove School, a boarding school at Kasauli, was evacuated as fires had reached the compound walls. The forest fires also disrupted the functioning of the Kalka–Shimla Railway line.  On 3 May, the forest department estimated the monetary losses at approximately ?29 lakh (US$40,000).

 Most of these fires occur in the chir pine zone. Forests with chir pine (Pinus roxburghii) are very prone to fire, as their foliage easily catches fire. But the pine itself is resistant to it and these fires help in their regeneration by reducing coverage of broad-leaf trees leading to an increase in the land covered by chir pine and oak. The broad-leaved forest is dominated by oak species, including Banj oak (Quercus leucotrichophora). Resin is harvested from these pines, and fires are often intentionally set to remove the carpet of pine needles that come in the way of harvesting activity. In June 1981, a blanket ban was introduced against felling of standing trees 1000 metres above sea level, and this ban comes in the way of removing pine trees in the areas where they are invading. Apart from accidental fires, a number of causes and motivations for setting fires have been noted which include encroachment on forest lands and concealing illegal timber extraction. Fires are also set by honey and sal seed collectors, to scare away wild animals, or to improve grass growth.

2008 Naina Devi temple stampede :

The 2008 Naina Devi temple stampede occurred on 3 August 2008 in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. One hundred and forty-six people died and 150 were injured when they were crushed, trampled, or forced over the side of a ravine by the movement of a large panicking crowd. Witness accounts suggest that events were initiated after a rain shelter collapsed, which worshipers mistakenly took to be a landslide. There were as many as 3000 devotees at the temple because it was a sacred place (called a "Shakti Peeth") in the holy month of Shraavana of the Hindu Calendar. At least 40 of the victims were children.

              State of Himachal is prone to various hazards both natural and manmade. Main hazards consist of earthquakes, landslides, flash floods, snow storms and avalanches, draughts, dam failures, fires – domestic and wild, accidents – road, rail, air, stampedes, boat capsizing, biological, industrial and hazardous chemicals etc. The hazard which however, poses biggest threat to the State is the earthquake hazard.