Recent rainfall exposes infra in Dharamsala to landslides
Recent rain has exposed public and private infrastructure to landslides in Dharamsala city. There was a massive landslide in the Kotwali market area after rain in Dharamsala that threatened the under-construction parking lot near the local bus stand under the Smart City project. The landslide also exposed the community hall of the Dharamsala Municipal Corporation and many private shops to danger.
The parking facility near the Dharamsala bus stand involved an investment of about Rs 80 crore. An earlier landslide in the area had damaged the approach road to the Dharamsala ropeway project. People residing in the area have been demanding measures to check landslides triggered by the cutting of hills for construction, they alleged.
Dharamsala Municipal Commissioner Zaffar Iqbal said a proposal was being prepared to deal with the landslide zone near the parking lot being developed near the bus stand. The landslide had also posed a threat to the MC community centre and other infrastructure. “I have issued directions that a proposal for checking landslides should also include the creation of a drainage system so that water does not enter hills after rainfall. After a proposal is finalised, it will be sent to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA),” he added.
Geologists from the Central University of Himachal Pradesh (CUHP) have blamed poor drainage and the lack of sewerage for the sinking of portions of hills in McLeodganj. They say that the upper crust of the hills in the McLeodganj area comprises loose soil and crushed stone and is prone to landslides in the absence of proper drainage.
The scientists also say that leaking septic tanks and water pipes in the region are responsible for landslides in McLeodganj. AK Mahajan, a prominent geologist and Professor in the CUHP, says that it is high time that the district administration makes an extensive plan for creating a proper drainage system in McLeodganj hills. The construction carried out on the hills is already beyond their carrying capacity and if remedial measures are not taken, McLeodganj may also face landslides.
The experts have warned that construction should not be carried out in active sliding zones of the city as they pose a threat to the lives and property of people. However, all these areas now have multi-storey buildings and are thickly populated.
