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Fear of landslides haunting residents of Doda
Subodh Bhasin. Dated: 7/11/2018 11:23:52 AM
Soil erosion goes unchecked
Subodh Bhasin
Jammu, July 10
Threat of landslide looms large to the people of Doda as the erosion of soil continues with no effective steps being taken by the authorities.
The matter of the fact is that several times experts have warned of disastrous situation in the area with the erosion of loose soil on both sides of the reservoir of Baglihar hydropower project.
As the monsoon season is approaching fast people of Doda district are living their life in danger with fear of landslides. Every year the threat of landslide looms large during every monsoon season and on several times have affected the life of the people on the highway.
Although every time a disaster occurs the administration announces several measures to check the soil erosion but a drive to the highway towards Doda district shows a horrifying situation emergeing out of soil erosion.
Talking to Young Bites correspondent Manjeet Manhas a resident of Doda district said that the soil erosion at most of the places is a continuous process and the authorities are not talking it seriously
Questioning the approach adopted by the authorities he asked that whether the authorities are waiting for a big disaster to occur before talking the issue seriously and with immediate attention
It is worthwhile to mention here that mountains of the Doda district comprise of hard rock, lime and gypsum stones along with loose soil. There are several junctions from Assar to Raggi, where lime stones and loose soil are found in ample in the hilly terrain. The threat of reservoir water affecting these rocks is quite high in these areas.
In the past one month at several places soil erosion has caused landslides hitting the area including the Batote-Kishtwar national highway. As a result the stretch remained blocked for several months. Although the authorities are well aware of the reality yet the situation is of grave concern.
Although these landslides were minor and did not pose any threat, yet as early and expeditiously authorities devise an effective mechanism the people residing in landslide prone areas can have a sign of relief before the start of monsoon season.