Assam: Landslide claims another life in Guwahati city

Is anybody really concerned about this chronic problem?

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: With the start of the rainy season, landslides have become common in the hills of the city. Most of the landslides are man-made and can be avoided if people are careful. It is the duty of the district administration to determine the causes and find a solution to such landslides, but it is not done, thus exacerbating the situation. The administration raises a hue and cry only when disaster strikes any city area and there are fatalities.

Every year, it has almost become a ritual for the district administration to issue notices to the hill dwellers to vacate a particular area where any landslides occur. But such landslides happen every year on a regular basis, and people die as a result. Even last night, a Class VIII student had to pay with his precious life in Kotahbari Nizarapar hillslide when a huge chunk of land slipped from the upper reaches and fell on top of their house. In the last decade, around 40 people have died of landslides in the city.

Ten years ago, a survey conducted by the government identified 366 landslide-prone areas in the hilly areas of the city. Such landslide-prone areas included 30 spots in the Hengerabari area, 31 in the Narengi area, 37 in the Kharghuli area, and 33 in the Khanapara area of the city. Ten years on, the landslide-prone areas have only increased in number as people have been constantly cutting hills unscientifically and constructing houses, leading to more disasters each year.

The question now arises whether there is any monitoring system adopted by the district administration for carrying out proper checks on hill sloping for construction purposes, construction of guardwalls, etc. that people are doing on a regular basis. Generally, it is seen that people are doing such things according to their own whims and needs without adhering to any norms that are in place. It has also become common practice for the district administration to not pay any serious attention, even if any concerned citizen lodges a complaint against any such irregularities indulged in by anybody.

As usual, a few days ago, the district administration again issued a notice to dwellers in an identified landslide-prone area to vacate their homes and move to a designated relief camp. Official sources said that despite such warnings to residents in landslide-prone areas, many people do not heed their warnings and continue to live in such areas, posing a risk to their own lives and properties.

It is now apparent that it is high time a permanent solution to this recurring problem was found. The administration can totally ban people from doing any construction activity in such dangerous landslide-prone areas and, instead, choose alternative and safer places to reside. Also, they can strictly monitor the construction of houses on the hill slopes and verify that they are built according to scientific principles and safe construction norms without posing a threat to their own lives or those of others.

Also Read: Guwahati: Landslide in Chandmari Damages House, Prompts Evacuation (sentinelassam.com)

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