Lok Sabha Question No. 1803 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-07-27
Subject: Vulnerability to Landslide
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: R. PARTHIPAN, LAKHAN LAL SAHU

## MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1803 TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, July 27, 2016

## VULNERABILITY TO LANDSLIDE

## 1803. SHRI R. PARTHIPAN: SHRI LAKHAN LAL SAHU:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  large  parts  of  the  country's  land  mass  are  vulnerable  to landslide and land erosion;
- (b)
- if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether any study has been conducted by the Government/NonGovernment agency in this regard;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether  the  Government  has  taken  any  precautionary  measures and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES

(SHRI Y. S. CHOWDARY)

- (a-b)   Yes  Madam.  Landslides  are  a  common  geomorphic  hazards  in Himalayan  states  which  is  generally  triggered  by  heavy  rainfall almost every year and also often by major earthquakes in this active Himalayan  Fold-Thrust-Belt.  Available  landslide  susceptibility  and inventory  maps  along  important  pilgrimage  routes,  road-corridors, river basins and site-specific large scale (1:2000 or larger) landslide maps  have  already  revealed  that  within  these  Himalayan  states, highly
- parts of many mountainous tracts and locations are vulnerable and susceptible to landslides.

The  highly  unstable  zones  studied  by  Geological  Survey  of  India (GSI) in various zones are given in Annexure-I.

- (c-d)  Yes  Madam.  GSI  has  launched  a  project  to  create  a  landslide compendium for north western Himalayas. The project started on 1 April, 2014. The details of project outcome are given below.
-  The compendium includes all major landslide studies carried out by GSI till 2013 in the North West (NW) Himalayas in the States of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.
-  The  type  of  information  included  in  the  compendium  are  (i) Landslide Susceptibility Maps on scale 1:50,000 covering parts of river  basins  such  as  Ramganga,  Ganga,  Yamuna,  Bhagirathi, Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Chenab river basin etc; (ii) Landslide Susceptibility  Maps   on  scale  1:50,000/25,000/10,000 covering

major towns such as Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Joshimath, Vaishno Devi, Ranikhet, Shimla etc; (iii) Landslide Susceptibility Maps  on  scale  1:50,000  covering  important  pilgrimage  road corridors  such  as  Yamunotri  yatra  route,  Gangotri  yatra  route, Kedarnath-Badrinath yatra route, Kailash-Mansarovar yatra route, Harkidun road, Narkanda-Rampur-Khab Road, KangraDharmshala-Sihunta-Dalhousie Road, Kalka-Shimla Narrow Gauge Railway  Route,  Arakot-Rohru-Narkanda-Theog-Chail-Solan  Road etc;  (iv)  site  specific  landslide  investigations  including  detailed geological maps; (v) post disaster reconnoitary geological assessment of major landslide events including the recent 2013 Uttarakhand Disaster; and (vi) inventory of major landslides in a tabular form.

- (e)     National  Disaster  Management  Authority  (NDMA)  has  published guidelines  on  Landslides  and  Snow  Avalanches  on  its  website. Following  are  the  precautionary  measures  for  landslides  that  are under wide circulation though print and visual media:
-  Prepare  tour  to  hilly  region  according  to  information  given  by weather department or news channel.
-  Minimize movement around landslide path ways during rainy days or downstream valleys having past history of landslides.
-  Keep drains clean,
-  Inspect drains for - litter, leaves, plastic bags, rubble etc.
-  Keep the weep holes open.
-  Grow more trees that can hold the soil through roots and their by minimizing erosions.
-  Identify  areas  of  rock  fall  and  subsidence  of  buildings,  cracks that  indicate  landslides  and  move  to  safer  areas.  Even  muddy river waters indicate landslides upstream.
-  Notice  such  signals  and  contact  the  nearest  Tehsil  or  District Head Quarters.
-  Ensure  that  toe  of  slope  is  not  cut,  remains  protected,  don't uproot trees unless re-vegetation is planned.
-  Listen  for  unusual  sounds  such  as  trees  cracking  or  boulders knocking together.
-  Stay alert, awake  and  active (3A's) during the impact or probability of impact and locate safe shelters

## Unstable zones studied by GSI in Uttarakhand

|   Unstable zones | Unstable zones                                                                               |   Unstable zones |
|------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------|
|                1 | Okhimath Tehsil, Rudraprayag-Kedarnath road, district Chamoli                                |               10 |
|                2 | Okhimath Tehsil, Haridwar-Badrinath road, and Rudraprayag- Kedarnath road, district Chamoli. |               35 |
|                3 | Haridwar-Badrinath road, district Chamoli                                                    |               14 |
|                4 | Karnapryag-Gwaldam road, district Chamoli                                                    |                4 |
|                5 | Haridwar-Badrinath-Mana road, district                                                       |                2 |
|                6 | Reni village, Ganai village, Joshimath-Marlari road, district Chamoli                        |                4 |
|                7 | Tharali village, district Chamoli                                                            |                1 |
|                8 | Karmi village, district Almora                                                               |                2 |
|                9 | Jalikhan-Jiakhan road district Almora                                                        |                1 |
|               10 | Bareilly-Almora road district Almora                                                         |                2 |
|               11 | Nainital: Sher ka Danda Hill, Naina Peak, Balia nala and Jangali village                     |                3 |
|               12 | Barielly-Kathgodam road, district Nainital                                                   |                5 |
|               13 | Almora-Pithoragarh road, district Almora                                                     |                4 |
|               14 | Kinwani Slide, Distt, Pauri Garhwal                                                          |                1 |
|               15 | Bhagirathi Valley, district Uttarkashi                                                       |              181 |
|               16 | Bhagirathi Valley, district Uttarkashi                                                       |               54 |
|               17 | Kannauldiya gad, district Uttarkashi                                                         |                3 |
|               18 | Haridwar-Badrinath road, district Chamoli                                                    |                4 |
|               19 | Rudraprayag-Kedarnath road, district Chamoli                                                 |                1 |
|               20 | Haridwar-Badrinath road and Rudraprayag-Kedarnath road, district Chamoli                     |                2 |
|               21 | Durlokh village, district Pithoragarh                                                        |                1 |
|               22 | Pithoragarh-Almora road, district Almora                                                     |                1 |
|               23 | Dharchula-Tawaghat road, Tawaghat village, district Pithoragarh                              |                8 |
|               24 | Kedarnath township                                                                           |                1 |

## Annexure-I

## Unstable zones studied by GSI in Himachal Pradesh

|   Unstable zones | Unstable zones                                                |     |
|------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|-----|
|                1 | Satluj river valley, district Kinnaur                         |  87 |
|                2 | Naina Devi Temple area, district Bilaspur                     |   1 |
|                3 | Bilaspur-Kiratpur road, district Bilaspur                     |   1 |
|                4 | Simla town, district Simla                                    |   3 |
|                5 | Kulu and Mandi districts                                      |  19 |
|                6 | Satluj river valley, district Kulu                            |   4 |
|                7 | Satluj river valley, Simla and Kulu districts                 |  30 |
|                8 | Kulu and Kinnaur districts                                    |  20 |
|                9 | Baira dam site, districts Chamba                              |   2 |
|               10 | Beas valley, district Kangra                                  | 175 |
|               11 | Dalhousie town, district Chamba                               |   2 |
|               12 | Near Sonwara Rly. St., Kalka-Simla Rail route, district Solan |   1 |
|               13 | Near Kandon, district Sirmur                                  |   1 |

## Unstable zones studied by GSI in Jammu & Kashmir

|   1 | Landslide at village Tak, Batote, District Ramban, Jammu and Kashmir.                                                    |
|-----|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|   2 | Landslide at village Channgabra, Batote, District Ramban, Jammu and Kashmir.                                             |
|   3 | Landslide at village Rakh Jhrog along PMGSY road, Batote, District Ramban, Jammu and Kashmir.                            |
|   4 | Landslides on Road Karu-Tangtse, District Leh, Jammu and Kashmir.                                                        |
|   5 | Landslides on Shyok-Agham Road, District Leh, Jammu and Kashmir.                                                         |
|   6 | Landslides on Rema-Rewari Road, District Leh, Jammu and Kashmir.                                                         |
|   7 | Landslide along Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board track (near Devidwar, Ardhkwari), District Reasi, Jammu and Kashmir. |
|   8 | Landslide at village Sadal, District Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir.                                                        |
|   9 | Landslide at village Sheindera, District Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir.                                                      |
|  10 | Landslide at village Upper Potha, District Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir.                                                    |
|  11 | Landslide at village Chela and Dangri, District Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir.                                               |
|  12 | Landslide at Kheri on National Highway, District Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir.                                            |
|  13 | Landslide at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan, Katra, District Reasi, Jammu and Kashmir.                                    |
|  14 | Landslide at Tringula, Batote on national highway, District Ramban, Jammu and Kashmir.                                   |
|  15 | Landslide at village Dharam, Gool, District Ramban, Jammu and Kashmir.                                                   |