State govt identifies 13 villages most vulnerable to landslide

Survey conducted by GSI also prepared a list of 318 villages identified as vulnerable

MUMBAI: Learning a lesson from the fatal landslide in Malin in Pune district claiming 151 lives in July 2014, the state government has prepared a list of 13 most vulnerable and 318 vulnerable villages prone to landslide. Some of them will need to be relocated while in others the mitigation measures will be undertaken by the government on urgent basis.

Raigad district has the history of the highest number of landslides as it had witnessed 211 deaths during the July 2005 deluge in four villages. Similarly, the landslide in Malin in Ambegaon taluka of Pune was reported as the most fatal landslide in recent times. The survey conducted by the Geological Survey of India with the help of state machinery has identified three more most vulnerable villages in Ambegaon. Six villages from Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and Satara have also been identified as most vulnerable taking the list to total of 13 villages.

Apart from the most vulnerable, the government has also prepared a list of 318 villages in six districts, including Thane, that are identified as the vulnerable to the landslide. Pune tops the chart with 94 villages, followed by 84 in Raigad and 81 in Ratnagiri in the list of the vulnerable villages. The villages and places included some of the popular spots among the

tourists, especially for the picnics during monsoon. Malshej Ghat, Amboli Ghat, Lohgad and places in Mahabaleshwar have been identified as prone to the landslide.

“After the Malin landslide which resulted in the loss of 151 lives in July 2014, we started preparing the list of the places prone to the landslide to avoid further damage by taking due precautions. The list of most vulnerable places will be treated on priority as some of them need immediate attention and probably shifting to an alternative place nearby. The list has got approval from the National Disaster Management Authority

and the funding to take up the pilot project is awaited,” said an officer from the relief and rehabilitation department.

“With the central funding we have planned to take up structural as well as non structural works. Apart from the works like retaining walls, netting and in rare cases relocation of the villages, we have proposed the programmes of awareness, training, orientation in the villages that are prone to the natural disaster. We will implement the pilot projects on the basis of urgency in select villages,” said Shridutt Kamath, State Project Officer.