Lessons Learnt

(Have We Learned Any Lesson ???)

 Sher ka Danda Landslide
Nainital 1880 resulting in 151
casualties (Oldham GSI)

Sher ka Danda Landslide

Nainital as seen today
Damage has been severe where the human settlements were located
on T0, T-1 and T-2 level terraces

Cutting the hill slopes induced instability

Road alignments were very close to the river bed level (4 5m)

Abutments of the Bridges were not properly tied to the valley flanks

Encroachment into the flanks of the tributary nala channels

Overnight mushrooming of Helipads without any

geological/geotechnical Investigation

Failure of the Warning Systems

Absence of proper monitoring
Construction on T0/T-1
Terraces and
Nala Banks
 30.072013 2012

Rill Erosion

Construction at the Toe

Parmati village, Sarju River

2012
6
 Road alignments were very
close to the river bed level (4
5m) Silli, Rudraprayag

Abutments of the Bridges were

not properly tied to the valley
flanks
 1880 Northwich England

Present is the
key to past

Present
holds the
key for
future

2013 Semi Bhardar, Rudraprayag, India

 ROAD AHEAD
This kind of event are rarest of rare having low frequency and high
magnitude. No one can design projects/ treatments for this kind of event

Bank on the Traditional Wisdom

Avoid settlements close to T0, T-1 terraces, on old slide dump, areas
falling in the run out trajectory of a major slide.

No encroachment into the flood plains of major rivers and into the
flanks of nala channels

Realignment of NH/SH only after the assessment by Geologist

Involve Geologists for all the future developmental activities and

infrastructure facilities
Immediately install AWS/Dopler Radar and other State-of-the Art
Equipments to get a precise and specific forecast

Develop a sound Warning System

A holistic and Comprehensive view to have a balance between

Environment and Development

Overhauling of NDMA and SDMA

Tragic deaths were a result of amassing of a great human population in a

very small township which was not equipped to cater to such a disaster

Yatra in Uttarakhand be regulated from the entry point itself

There are Ways and Means to develop the hydroprojects with
minimum damages to the environment (Geological , Ecological etc)

The Geology, Seismotectonics, fragility and ecological concerns

should be looked with a right perspective and given due
consideration while designing the projects

Let there be strict monitoring for ensuring the total compliance to

the guidelines pertaining to ecological flow, proper dumping of
muck, innovative and modern techniques of excavation,
minimizing any kind of pollution
After every major destruction (Vinash) there is
New Construction (Nav Srijan)

Let us take a pledge to take the State of

Uttarakhand and the Nation as a whole to a path of
Reconstruction and Development through Scientific
Pursuit