Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 1 Aug: In a significant development, the Centre has sanctioned an amount of Rs 125 crores towards landslide mitigation and management. The amount has been sanctioned by the Centre following sustained efforts and persuasion by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who has been pressing for the long-term solutions in the most landslide-prone regions of the state.
In this regard, detailed proposals prepared by the State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) and the Uttarakhand Landslide Mitigation and Management Centre (ULMMC), Dehradun, were submitted to the Centre under the Chief Minister’s instructions. Taking prompt action on directives issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs approved the comprehensive mitigation plan. In its initial phase, an amount of Rs 4.5 crores has been released to facilitate preliminary investigations and the preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs).
Expressing his gratitude to the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, Dhami today conveyed deep gratitude on behalf of the state and its people. He described the project as a decisive measure to establish sustainable and resilient interventions in landslide-affected areas, with special focus on five critically sensitive locations selected for immediate attention.
The amount is intended to treat landslide zones in 5 major locations. The Mansa Devi Hill Bypass Road in Haridwar has been plagued by frequent landslides and rockfalls, posing significant risks to public safety. Serving as an alternative route during the Kanwar Yatra, this road affects an estimated 50,000 residents who grapple with its unpredictability. Similarly, the Galogi Hydropower Project Road in Mussoorie, Dehradun, located at kilometre 25 on the Dehradun-Mussoorie stretch, suffers repeated landslide incidents during the monsoon season, severely disrupting traffic and damaging road infrastructure.
Karnaprayag’s Bahuguna Nagar has experienced alarming subsidence incidents that have wreaked havoc on residential areas and roadways. Declared geologically unstable, the region demands urgent geotechnical assessments. In Nainital, the Charton Lodge area witnessed a massive landslide in September 2023, leading to the displacement of several families and damage to multiple homes. Continuous rainfall and poor drainage systems were identified as key triggers.
The Khotila-Ghatdhar area in Dharchula, Pithoragarh, situated near the India-Nepal border, continues to suffer from heavy rainfall-induced erosion and soil degradation, severely impacting land stability in this strategic border zone.
