Village settlements put pressure on hill slopes: Geologists

Mumbai: After the devastating landslides in Taliye, Malin and now Irshalwadi, geologists have stressed that precautionary measures suggested by reports from agencies working in this domain must be implemented on an urgent basis. These measures include training the local population to prevent such natural disasters in future.

Satish Thigale, retired head of the geology department at Savitribai Phule Pune University, drew attention to the changes in the geographical landscape of Irshalwadi. “Originally inhabited by the tribal Katkari community, the region had a unique geographical situation,” he said. “Over time, more houses were built on the hills, transforming the settlement into a full-fledged village of around 200 people.” The geologist emphasised that such demographic changes could put undue pressure on hill slopes, escalating the likelihood of disasters.

Thigale has extensively studied these geological phenomena, gathering data on nearly 80 percent of the valleys in the Sahyadri region. He advocates educating the local population about the signs of impending landslides such as tree-bending and tilting of structures, and emphasises that alternative safe locations must be found. “Finding such locations remains a challenge, and it is crucial for the government to provide guidance in this regard,” he said. “Elderly members of the tribal and Katkari communities, with their deep forest knowledge, can complement scientific and geographical information provided by the authorities to create a comprehensive safety plan.”

Another study group, the Centre for Citizen Science (CCS), also does a study report every year on landslide-prone areas in Maharashtra. Mayuresh Prabhune, secretary of CCS, said that after the Malin landslide, the CCS team contacted the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Geological Land Survey of India (GSI) to discuss whether coordination between the two organisations could provide early warning of cracks. However, this did not work out.

After that, CCS volunteers started working under senior meteorologist Jeevan Prakash Kulkarni and senior geologist Ramesh Badve and developed a system of alerts called the Satark Crack Warning System to independently provide alerts to citizens. “In the monsoon of 2015, 75 percent of Satark’s forecasts proved to be correct,” said Prabhune. “Even after that, new information about the locations of cracks was continuously collected and the map of crack-prone areas was updated. Since 2016, the accuracy of the alert’s forecasts has increased to more than 80 percent.”

BOX

HEAD: Opposition questions govt on Madhav Gadgil report

The opposition moved an adjournment motion and demanded a debate on the landslide in Khalapur. Congress legislator Balasaheb Thorat said that they did not want to bring politics into it but the state government should take the opposition into confidence. Congress leader Nana Patole questioned what action the government had taken on the recommendations of the Madhav Gadgil Committee Report on the ecology of the Western Ghats.

Fadnavis responded that they had completed the mapping of all villages with their core and buffer zones. “Maharashtra was the first state to do so,” he said. “We have apprised the Centre about it. The draft of the action on the committee report is expected to be released by the Centre.”

Congress leader Ashok Chavan said the state government needed to take all possible steps to avoid such mishaps in other vulnerable areas of the state.