Nepal quake caused Hathi Parvat landslide: Experts
But Chamoli administration disputes claim of experts
DEHRADUN: Experts and studies said the Nepal earthquake seemed to be the immediate cause of the recent landslide at Hathi Parvat in Uttarakhand which blocked the Badrinath pilgrimage route for almost a week.
The landslide on April 27 was the first one in this area. But administrative officials have denied any direct connection between the two geological incidents in the Himalayas at the same time. However, experts claimed the Nepal quake must have provided the needed thrust for the landslide in the waiting. The area where the landslide occurred is vulnerable to landslides and earthquakes, according to a study.
The Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee conducted a study in this part of the upper Alaknanda river along Pipalkoti-Badrinath NH 58 which includes Hathi Parvat and claimed that the area is vulnerable terrain and seismically active. This is so as the area is traversed by many geological faults and is tectonically active, the study said.
“Although other aspects of the geological study need to be examined, but the Nepal earthquake seems to be the immediate provocation for creating a fresh landslide zone at Hathi Parvat on the Badrinath route,” said Piyoosh Rautela, executive director of Uttarakhand Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre who has also taken part in other similar studies. Rautela said the CBRI study explains how the geological structure of this location is vulnerable to even minor tremors or earthquakes. The study said the location where the landslide occurred between Joshimath and Vishnuprayag has fragile rocks and soil which made the landmass slide down the hillock on the road.
“In fact the area witnessed almost three landslides in almost a week’s time which reflects the susceptibility of areas towards even minor tremors,” said Rautela. The CBRI study said, “There are many active landslide zones particularly along the major hill roads, which threaten human lives and damage roads and property.”
The study claimed that the road stretch from Pipalkoti to Badrinath is a landslide-prone zone due to adverse geological formations, highly fragile topography and seismically active locations. The Chamoli district administration said the April 27 landslide resulted in a new slide zone in the state but was not connected with the Nepal quake. “It’s indeed a fresh landslide but we cannot link it with the Nepal quake,” said Chamoli district magistrate Ashok Kumar..