Ramban Landslide

A truck trapped in landslide on highway at Panthyal near Ramban. — Excelsior/Parvez Mir
A truck trapped in landslide on highway at Panthyal near Ramban. — Excelsior/Parvez Mir

Another village, another natural disaster, and the same outcome-destruction. This time it is Ramban District, and the affected area is Duksar hamlet in the Dalwa area of Gool Sub-Division. In all, 70 people have been dislocated and moved to a safe place. It is not that the landslide has occurred suddenly; cracks had already appeared in the area some time ago, but no scientific study was being undertaken till now. In addition to houses, a graveyard, and fields, a 200-metre stretch of the GREF road has also been damaged. The landslide is still going on, and all residents are displaced right now. All of these recent cases of landslides and subsidence are serious issues that must not be overlooked. The outcome of the Doda subsidence is still not known, and now this landslide in an adjacent district is a matter of concern. Residents of various districts are time and again pointing out this kind of subsidence and land sliding, but concerned authorities have ignored the emerging situation for quite some time. The administration should come out with a clear-cut focus on the root cause of such incidents, and corrective planning has to be put in place before some major damage occurs. So many incidents had occurred recently that were in the public domain but were not investigated logically. Our mountain ranges are reacting to what is still a mystery. There are enough signs that something is wrong, but our conclusions are currently out of reach. The District Administration of Ramban has requested GSI also to look into the root cause. These surveys by GSI and other agencies will take time, and in the meantime, all places where the public has pointed out cracks or any other unusual activity by nature has been spotted must be taken seriously. Safeguarding the public should be the prime focus.