संता – भाई, आजकल नदी तल से मलबा हटाने को ले कर कुछ ज्यादा हो हल्ला हो रहा हैं? बंता – हाँ, पहले अकेले पर्यावरण प्रेमी ही थे, पर अब न्यायालय भी शामिल हो गया हैं। ऐसे में अखबारों को तो बैठे-बिठाये मसाला मिल ही जाता हैं। संता – पर मसला हैं क्या यह सब? बंता […]
Hydromet hazards
भू-स्खलन के बोझ से दबता हिमालय
संता – भाई, हिमांचल हो या फिर उत्तराखण्ड, इस साल तो बरसात ने हर तरफ आफत मचा रखी हैं। बंता – सो तो हैं, नुकसान कुछ ज्यादा ही हो गया हैं। पर वैसे देखा जाये तो बरसात में पहाड़ी ढाल पर मलबे का खिसकना या भू-स्खलन का होना एक आम बात हैं, और इसमें कुछ भी […]
Romanticising rains
This is monsoon time, and during this part of the year it is common to experience floods in the plains and landslides in the mountains. This is what Mother Nature has been doing since times immemorial. Really speaking there is no big a deal in the occurrence of these incidences, particularly during the monsoon period. […]
Demystifying ground subsidence around Joshimath
Joshimath in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand has been witnessing distress of slope material since 1970. Active and severe ground subsidence is however being witnessed presently in portions of the town that were hitherto considered free from the problem of slope distress – Sinnghdhar, Marwari and Manoharbagh. This is attributed to the breach of a water […]
Santa-Banta on landslides
संता – भाई रोज सुनते रहते हैं, आखिर यह भू-स्खलन होता क्या हैं ? बंता – Land यानी आम भाषा में कहे तो चट्टान, पत्थर, मिट्टी व मलबा। यह सब जब Slide करे या ढाल पर नीचे आये, तो उसे हम Landslide या भू- स्खलन कहते हैं। संता – वो तो ठीक है, परन्तु यह मलबा नीचे […]
Avalanches around Kedarnath
In September 2022 avalanche activity was observed repeatedly in the mountains to the north of Kedarnath in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. Presence of pilgrims and others in large numbers facilitated pictographic and video records of these, and stories projecting these as posing a major hazard to the township and pilgrims became viral on social media. A […]
Skewed mitigation and increasing flood risk
Despite the situation being continuously exacerbated by climate change and unplanned urbanisation, most vulnerable of the 1.81 billion flood affected persons fail to get prioritised under risk reduction programs due to skewed selection criteria. The study Flood exposure and poverty in 188 countries – an article published recently in Nature Communications by Jun Rentschler, […]
Committee recommends monitoring of slopes around Joshimath
Observation pillars were erected on the identified vulnerable slopes around the Naini lake after devastating Sher-ka-Danda landslide of 1880 and these were monitored using theodolite till 1997 to assess the threat posed to the lake city and undertake mitigation measures, besides sounding a warning when required. Monitoring unstable slopes But then Joshimath in Chamoli district […]
Janmashtami cloudburst around Dehradun
The article posted a week ago, focused on failing risk perception of the people of the region – various factors were put forth therein as inducing these people to knowingly take risk. But then, these people routinely struggle to make the ends meet, and are for that matter left with little options to choose from. […]
Failing risk perception instincts
Doesn’t repeated flood-induced losses in the hills indicate our failing risk perception and avoidance instincts? If so, we have to dig deep to set the things right. Risk Risk refers to expected or anticipated losses to a given element at risk from an identified hazard over a specific time period. It is important to note that the […]