The recent landslide, which claimed over 130 lives in Taliye village of Raigad and Satara districts, has once again forced the authorities to study the geological factors to find out the reason behind the landslide Is. Experts have suggested a comprehensive investigation of these areas to identify ways to prevent landslides in future.
Arvind Kumar Singh, deputy director general of GSI, Maharashtra unit in Pune told TOI, “Increased encroachment on natural hill slopes for cultivation or habitat expansion, deforestation and other anthropogenic causes have increased the frequency of landslide incidents. . In the last few decades, especially in western Maharashtra and Konkan regions.”
“If we study the history of Pune, Satara, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg, which is home to many forts of the Maratha Empire, we will not find a reference to large-scale landslides as human habitation at that time was limited to specified places only. Location. The forests were maintained like ‘Garbhagriha’. There was no disturbance in the natural slope of the hill and the flow of water. However, this changed over the decades. There has been a tremendous increase in human habitation at such places. This is the reason That we are now facing the issue of landslides in the region,” Shekhar Sarkar, former Deputy Director General (Central Zone), GSI, who has visited the region several times in the past, said.
Sarkar, who conducted a detailed investigation into the Malin landslide in Pune in 2014, said, “In the Northeast, people have been living together on the hills for generations. His understanding of geographical aspects is very deep. But, in Maharashtra, we saw a lack of knowledge among the villagers living in hilly areas. To overcome this issue, we need to create basic awareness about the geological and topographical changes that have developed/happened on the hills due to various reasons. Only then will they make a conscious effort to move or relocate to safer places in future. ”
“In landslide-prone western Maharashtra, an area of more than 28,000 sq km has been covered by the GSI under the National Landslide Vulnerability Mapping Program (NLSM) to classify vulnerable areas according to their potential to generate landslides. In addition, a comprehensive landslide inventory covering over 1,000 incidents has also been prepared. Out of the total aerial coverage, about 5% of the area shows high potential to generate landslides, and an additional area of over 30% shows a moderate probability of landslide formation,” said three geologists from GSI.
According to Singh, one needs to understand that the area to be affected need not be classified into high or medium landslide susceptibility zones.
“This is because the impact of landslide activity can be felt in areas which are outside such areas but are in the way of exclusion of landslide incidents. Recent incidents in Jui (2005) village in Raigad district, Malin (2014) in Pune district and Taliye in Raigad district are prime examples of such cases.
On the recent increase in landslide activities, Singh said that the old and historical record of landslides is far from complete and generally only incidents causing damage to human population are recorded. “As a result, it is difficult to establish a quantitative relationship between events and trigger factors, especially rainfall,” he said.
After the recent landslide incidents, GSI has sent two teams of geologists for rapid geological assessment of the affected areas.
“Teams are currently in the field and collecting required field data to assess the causes of incidents and identify immediate short-term measures to mitigate further risk. The first phase is planned to cover 15 villages The findings of these studies will be shared with the district authorities concerned,” said Singh.
Retired GSI geologist Sudha Vaddadi said, “The state government should form a dedicated committee of geologists to review the landslide prone villages at least twice a year. This exercise will surely help the concerned district administration to take advance measures. At present, we are taking action only after the incident. Also, permission of geologists should be made mandatory before starting any developmental project in hilly areas or districts.”
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