USDMA holds workshop on landslide reduction
By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 12 Jun: A workshop on landslide reduction and risk management was organised here today by the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) under the Landslide Risk Reduction Scheme sponsored by the NDMA.
While inaugurating the workshop, Secretary, State Disaster Management Authority, Dr Ranjit Kumar Sinha observed that landslides are a serious problem in Uttarakhand and every year it causes loss of precious life and property. To understand landslides or any other disaster, or to deal effectively with such issues, many aspects have to be understood from a holistic perspective, only then will it be possible to make the dream of a disaster-safe state come true. Just cutting a road and then putting up a retaining wall will not work. One needs to understand the geology there, understand geophysics, understand hydrology and soil structure along with the basic engineering. A comprehensive approach is needed to deal with landslides, he insisted.
Sinha said landslides appear to be a natural disaster, but somewhere man-made circumstances also cause them. Development is necessary but at the same time conservation of environment is also necessary. Only when a balance is established between these two processes, can the state effectively deal with disasters. When slopes in mountains are disturbed for any development related activity, it is necessary to treat them properly, so that that place does not become a danger zone for any kind of disaster in future.
Sinha insisted that whenever any construction is done in the mountains, the soil bearing capacity of that place must also be assessed before the construction. If this happens, then the disaster and its effect can be reduced to a great extent. He observed that most of the landslide incidents are happening on the sides of the roads which indicates that somewhere the slopes of the mountains are getting disturbed due to road construction. It is necessary to build roads, but it is even more important that at the same time the slopes are treated scientifically.
Sinha said that InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) is the most modern technology for early warning from the perspective of landslides. This technology is satellite based and drone based. By using satellite based technology, early warning can be obtained before the landslide occurs. There is a discussion going on at the level of Government of India and State Government about how this technology can be used.
Earlier, Additional Chief Executive Officer, USDMA, Anand Swaroop said that natural disasters cannot be stopped, but by strengthening the disaster management system to face them, the loss of life and property can be reduced to a great extent. USDMA Executive Director Dr Piyush Rautla said that to deal effectively with landslides and other natural disasters in Uttarakhand, not only is it necessary to study the traditional knowledge of the people here but it needs to be used more as traditional knowledge can lead to many effective solutions. Rahul Jugran, USDMA expert Devidutt Dalakoti, Tandrila Sarkar, Jessica Terron, Dr Pooja Rana, IEC expert Manish Bhagat, etc., were present in the workshop. The workshop was conducted by Ruchika Tandon.
Shantanu Sarkar, Director of Uttarakhand Landslide Reduction and Management Centre said that Lidar survey of Nainital, Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Almora will start soon through helicopters and drones. The data obtained from this will be shared with various departments, which will help in carrying forward safe construction work. He said that by constructing rock fall tunnels in landslide prone areas, traffic can be maintained smoothly and incidents of loss of life can be reduced.
Dr Suresh Kannaujiya of Indian Institute of Remote Sensing said that NASA-ISRO SAR Mission (NISAR) will be launched this year. This technology will be very useful in disaster management. He said that for landslide mitigation, it is necessary to understand the changes in the geo-structure and slope pattern. Dr Mohit Poonia, Principal Consultant of ULMMC, presented his views on geotechnical investigation and slope stability analysis. Dr SP Pradhan of IIT Roorkee said that grouting technology is effective in preventing landslides, it just needs to be made cost effective.
Dr Kalachand Sen, Director of Wadia Institute of Geology, said that among the Himalayan states, Uttarakhand is the most affected and sensitive in terms of landslides. To reduce the incidence of landslides, mapping of the most affected areas is necessary and that data should be made available to city planners to promote safe construction work. The Himalayas are very sensitive and are being damaged a lot due to human activities. Serious thinking is necessary on this.
