Uttarakhand: Technical committee to survey landslide affected area in Nainital

The district administration of Nainital has formed a technical committee which will survey the area amid landslide threat in areas around Charlton Lodge near Mallital area.

The district administration has also shifted 24 families from “unsafe” houses in Uttarakhand’s Nainital town.

On Sunday, a team of geologists conducted a site inspection of the affected area and found “poor drainage” to be one of the key reasons for the landslide.

“Geologist Deependra Singh Chand along with officials from irrigation, administration and district development authority conducted a site inspection of the landslide-affected area at Charlton Lodge. The team took stock of cracks on the spot, and drainage system in the area. It is suspected that no proper system of sewage and water drainage in the area was one of the key reasons for landslides as rainwater continued to seep into the ground of the hill. It makes the land weak and the area landslide prone,” Shailesh Kumar, District Disaster Management Officer (DDMO) of Nainital said.

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As an immediate measure, the administration is erecting a wall of geo bags to check the landslide.

Pramod Kumar, sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Nainital said, “A temporary wall of geo bags will be built to stabilise the slope and check further landslides. The entire area is being covered with polythene so that the rainwater doesn’t enter the ground and trigger a landslide.”

He said the affected area has a history of landslides and the decision to shift other families from the area will be taken later but their immediate focus was landslide treatment.

“The slope is at 60-65 degrees,” the SDM added.

“We have so far shifted 24 families to safer places, including a nearby hotel and school,” he said.