Source: The Sangai Express / Newmai News Network
Kohima, May 06 2009:
Concerned about the usually unstable hilly areas of the North East region as a result of geomorphic and geological conditions, heavy and prolonged rainfall a brain storming session on Landslides in North East Region emphasized on the need of avoiding indiscriminate cutting of slopes, unplanned developmental activities and deforestation.
The session held in Kohima on Tuesday under the aegis of Department of Geology, Nagaland University and sponsored by Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, New Delhi was participated by planners, disaster managers, engineers, geoscientists, etc of various State Governments, Geological Survey of India, Border Roads Organisation and Universities of the NE Region involved with landslides.
Viewing that increasing population and rapid urbanization have added to landslide incidents that have led to huge loss of property and some lives, the session regretted damage of buildings, roads, culverts, irrigated tracts and natural vegetation has caused a serious impact on the socio-economic set-up of the States like Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim.
Speaking on the topic 'Landslide Hazards Mitigation in Nagaland, Strategy and Policy', K Arhomo Lotha from the Directorate of Geology and Mining, Dimapur said that landslide hazard control policy in Nagaland is unregulated and haphazard without any coordination.
He said that problem has to be tackled from grassroot level by mobilization of mass participation and financial resources of the Government.
He revealed that Nagaland is a landslide-prone area with as much as 88 percent of the total area falling under potential/susceptible of short to long term stability problems.
HE also emphasized on the need of constituting a statutory and regulatory body, 'State Landslide Control Board' at par with existing Boards for overall mitigation, formulation and supervision of landslide related works.
Such high set up at National level is also essential, he added.
M Chandra Singh and P Surjit Singh from the Department of Geology, Imphal College, Imphal in their paper presentation dwelled on the 'Landslide problems along NH-53, between Bijang and Tupul, Manipur'.
They pointed that these landslides occur due to large scale quarrying, degradation of vegetation, steep slopes, high relative relief and highly fractured and weathers sandy rocks.
Detailed studies of landslides are continuing at Bijang, Kotland and Senam villages, they said.
Resources persons Dr.Trilochan Singh, Chief Geologist DCS Ltd, New Delhi; Prof T N Singh, Department of Earth Sciences, IIT Mumbai and Dr S Ibotombi of Manipur University, Imphal spoke on the topics 'structural and geotechnical perspectives and numerical modeling to stop landslides.