The study suggests need for immediate rehabilitation of these villages
THE PUNE district administration will have to take immediate cognisance of 10 villages in the district that are “highly prone to landslides” if they want to avoid a Malin landslide-like episode again, especially when the district is witnessing heavy rains.
Two years after the landslide tragedy, which killed 151 people in Malin, a survey carried out by the College of Engineering Pune (COEP) on the instructions of the District Disaster Management Authority has marked these villages as “critical”, meaning immediate action was needed for the mitigation of landslides/rockfalls.
The college carried out a detailed survey of 23 landslide-prone villages in the district and has prepared its report after testing the soil and doing the slope stability analysis for each of the sites. Incidentally, the COEP was roped in after the Groundwater Survey Development Agency (GDSA) failed to give an independent report for each of these villages. The report is yet to be submitted to the administration.
While sharing the findings of the report, the college authorities and District Disaster Management team said that along with the risk factors, they have estimated that adequate precautions needed to be taken for these 10 villages, which includes construction of walls or shifting out some of the villagers, which should cost an estimated sum of Rs 3.5 crore. Officials from the District Disaster Management Cell said that they would try and get the required funds but cannot immediately vacate the villages as the monsoon was in full swing.
Source : Indian Express
