Study of all conspicous landslides undertaken by GSI

New Delhi, Dec 15 (UNI) The Geological Survey of India (GSI) undertakes study of all conspicuous landslides including recurring type, almost every year in the northeastern and northwestern Himalayas, northeastern States of the country and also in the western ghats/ Nilgiri hills in the southern part of India, to delineate the tentative causative factors and to suggest suitable slope protective measures, the Lok Sabha was informed today.

Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Kapil Sibal said in a written reply that in the landslide prone regions of the country there are several types of landslides like old, stabilized and dormant. GSI carries out detailed investigations of all these slides.

He said some of the recurring types of landslides studied recently are (i) Sonapur slide on Shillong-Silchar National Highway, Meghalaya, (ii) 9- Mile slide on NH-31A, Lantakhola slide, B-2 slide, Elachi slide, Serwani slide in Sikkim, (iii) Paglajhora slide, Darjeeling, West Bengal, (iv) Devastating Varunavat slide, Uttarkashi, Survee slide, Mussourie, Uttaranchal, (v)Bhilar and some other conspicuous slides in Raigar district of Maharashtra, (vi) Hospital slide, Coonoor, Tamil Nadu.

The study on snow avalanches in India is done by Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) Defence Research and Development Organisation, Ministry of Defence. The focus is on helping troops deployed in snow bound avalanche prone areas in their day to day movement. All avalanche prone areas that affect troops movement in Western Himalayan region have been registered by SASE, IMD is providing meteorology data for predicting the avalanches.

Mr Sibal said there are methodology by which landslide vulnerable zones can be demarcated to identify such vulnerable zones. GSI has already completed inventory of about 1150 landslides spread over northeastern States, northeast and north west Himalayas, western Ghats and Nilgiri hills. GSI is also engaged in carrying out landslide hazard zonation mapping on different scales to demarcate the landslide prone hilly terrain into different zones according to their degree of susceptiblity to landslides. The main purpose of this study is to guide the planners regarding the land use pattern.

It has also helped in the risk reduction due to avalanches by way of avalanche awareness and avalanche forecasting.

Regular avalanche forcasting bulletins are issued from snow and avalanche study establishment to people living in avalanche prone area about impending danger. Civilian population living in the interior region of Himalayas are also informed through media dissemination.

Responding to another question, Mr Sibal said there has been a growing trend in the mineral producton in the country through mining activity.

He said no scientific evidence has been established to show that the mining activity by itself could generate significant earthquake activity or Tsunamis that are triggered by earthquakes.

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