Identify landslide-prone area to cut damages, dists told

Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 11

Considering immense loss to life, livelihood and property caused by landslides, the Himachal government has asked all the districts to prepare the detailed project report of the landslide-prone areas so that steps can be taken to reduce the damage on this account.

This was stated by Special Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management DD Sharma while speaking at a contact programme for stakeholder departments on Landslide Risk Mitigation in Himachal Pradesh here today. “The National Disaster Management Authority has asked all the states to prepare these DPRs for which Rs 15 crore would be provided on 80:10 budget sharing to reduce the effect of landslides,” he said.

He said all the districts had been asked to undertake the exercise and some areas like the Urni Khud slide point in Kinnaur had already been identified. The contact programme was organized by the State Revenue Department and the HP State Centre on Climate Change of the State Council of Science Technology and Environment (SCSTE) in technical collaboration with the Geological Survey of India (GSI).

“Rapid growth in development activities like road construction, hydro power projects and other infrastructure building works were mainly responsible for degradation of environment as these activities involve excavation, blasting, tunneling and RCC works,” he said. He said the losses were rising due to increased occupation on susceptible slopes and unscientific haphazard development without due consideration to landslides risk management.

He stressed the need for use of the state-of-art technologies in assessment, prevention, mitigation, monitoring, warning and preparedness which were lacking in Indian context. He underlined the need to shift from traditional attitude to proactive continuum risk management besides ensuring proper use of scientifically prepared hazard and risk zonation maps and development of sites or projects.

Sharma stressed the need to bridge gaps in information, data basis, maps, methodologies, techniques and technologies in these fields. The major thrust area should be mainstreaming the disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in our developmental programme and policies.

Director, GSI, BM Gairola, said his organization was working for creating mass awareness amongst the stakeholders to mitigate the natural disasters. He said many areas of the state were vulnerable to landslips and other natural disasters and there was urgent need to take effective steps to avoid loss to human lives and property.

Senior Scientific Officer, HP State Centre on Climate Change Dr SS Randhawa, gave a detailed presentation on hazard vulnerability of Himachal Pradesh. He said a few districts of the state were highly prone to earthquake as they fall under seismic zone-V. The department was regularly organizing training camp for the officials concerned and general public to make them aware of the possible risks of earthquake, landslips, flash floods, snow avalanches, etc.