Destruction of Western Ghats is Main Reason for Landslide – Dr Udaya Shankar
Udupi: “Landslides have been happening in the Western Ghats and its surrounding areas in recent years. The main reason for this is the increasing destruction of the Western Ghats in the name of development”, said Dr Udaya Shankar, a senior geologist from Manipal.
He expressed his concern during a discussion program on ‘Artificial Floods – Fire Disasters – Landslides’ organized by the Udupi District Working Journalists’ Association, in association with the Udupi Press Club Committee, at the Udupi Press Club on Saturday, August 3.
Dr Udaya Shankar said that the Western Ghats, which receive the highest rainfall, are now experiencing easy entry of rainwater into the ground due to deforestation. Water entering the ground in large quantities must come out. The Western Ghats has many structural weaknesses. If there is a trigger at such a point, there is a high possibility of an earthquake. When this rainwater enters the earth as groundwater, such incidents increase. The sounds of explosions heard in the Western Ghats during the recent monsoon season are indications of structural weaknesses. Directly falling groundwater also adds pressure and then, disasters like those happening in Wayanad occur.”
“Dr Udaya Shankar Further said that without studying the earth’s structure, the consequences of cutting hills for national highways are leading to disasters like the one in Ankola’s Shiruri. The Laterite stone on the surface of the earth is very hard, but the layer below it is just loose soil, which is very dangerous. In Manipal too, laterite stone is being cut unscientifically. Human-made landslides need to be prevented. For this, the government should bring in legal regulations to prevent unscientific cutting of the earth.
He also said that Agumbe is a hotspot with extremely sensitive biological organisms, and it is not right to decide to build a tunnel in such a place. When a tunnel is built in such a sensitive area, the groundwater will flow into the tunnel and a river will be formed below Someshwara. The river will exist until the water is drained, and when the water is drained, the biodiversity will be destroyed, and only the tunnel will remain.”
“Udupi City Municipality Commissioner Rayappa said that the artificial flood in the Gundibail area was caused by the construction of buildings by closing the stormwater drain, which allowed rainwater to flow smoothly in the city. He stated that this time, the highest rainfall in 15 years has been recorded, and due to preventive measures, there were no casualties.
He emphasized that Udupi is a growing city, and to ensure its sustainable development, a systematic stormwater drain system should be implemented to allow rainwater to flow, and buildings should be constructed accordingly. This is the only way to protect Udupi city from artificial floods, he said.”
“Udupi District Fire and Emergency Services Officer Vinayaka U. Kalagutkar said that this year, 340 calls related to fire accidents and 92 rescue calls were received in Udupi district. Due to heavy rainfall, flooding occurred, and our staff rescued a total of 181 people.
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He informed that there should be one fire station for every 50,000 population or 40 km. We don’t have that many fire stations. Therefore, everyone needs to know about fire prevention and protection. This can minimize damage. Negligence is the cause of fire accidents. The response time for fire accidents is only three minutes. If there is no response within that time, there can be significant loss of life and property.”
The programme was presided over by Rajesh Shetty Alevoor, President of the Association. Kiran Manjanabailu, a State Committee Member of the Association, and Treasurer Umesh Marpalli were present. Nazir Polya, General Secretary of the Association, welcomed and introduced the program. Ajith Aradi, Director of the Press Club Committee honoured the guests. Journalist Deepak Jain compered the programme.
