DEHRADUN: Concerned about record rainfall and loss of life and property this monsoon, the Uttarakhand government has decided to conduct a geological survey of 15 major cities in the state soon.
The team will also carry out a research analysis on the load-carrying capacity of these cities in a scientific manner.
“In the first phase, the load-carrying capacity of 15 cities of the state will be studied. The list initially includes densely populated big cities like Mussoorie, Nainital, Gopeshwar, Pauri, Srinagar, and Yamkeshwar. After the Joshimath landslide incident, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had directed to conduct a study of the load-carrying capacity of all the cities of the state, especially the hill stations,” said a senior official of the state disaster management office.
Disaster Management Secretary Dr. Ranjit Kumar Sinha said, “The Uttarakhand Landslide Mitigation and Management Centre of the Disaster Management Department have started the process. Expert agencies will be shortlisted for the study, for which tenders will be invited soon.”
A senior official of the State Disaster Management Authority said the expert agency will examine every aspect responsible for the hazard in hill cities, such as to what extent the buildings are being constructed, how many floors are threatened by the disaster level, and how many floor buildings should be built on what degree slope.
After closely studying all such aspects, the expert team will submit its report to the state government, which will be implemented in the future. This monsoon has caused relatively large-scale loss of life and property as well as large-scale damage to land and buildings as compared to previous years, which has prompted the government to conduct geological surveys.