Landslide of Rishikesh‐Badrinath National Highway at Devprayag, District Tehri Garhwal, Uttaranchal (India)

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report on the landslide of Rishikesh‐Badrinath National Highway in Uttaranchal, India.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper discusses causes, mitigation and preventive measures in and around the township of Devprayag.

Findings

Apart from the major landslide events (such as Malpa and Okhimath in 1998) most landslides go unnoticed because the losses in most of the events are not great enough to catch the media attention. These are therefore often considered as stray events but the cumulative losses from these events are significant. Geological and tectonic evolution of the Himalayan terrain has resulted in large‐scale metamorphism, thrusting, faulting, folding and deformation of the rocks that have resulted in a terrain that is full of rocks that are highly fractured, jointed and sheared and thus in a fragile state. High relative relief, steep slopes, concentrated rainfall with high rates of surface flow together with the ongoing tectonism make the region highly prone to natural hazards. Earthquake, landslide, flash floods are thus common to this region. A total of 78 people died in various incidences in such minor incidences in the monsoon season of 2004 in the state of Uttaranchal in India. The cumulative losses in the entire Himalayan terrain from such incidences are likely to surpass the count in other disasters. The public policy on landslide hazard management encompasses decision making on the issue: when at what cost of various mix of preventive and ameliorative of palliative measures be applied to mitigate the hazards of mass‐movement. Two aspects, regulatory and legislative, are involved. Since, damages consequent to occurrence of a landslide are involved there should be mandatory regulation governing the procedure of hazard management and for providing guidelines in the matter requiring fixing responsibilities for causing/escalating landslides, providing deterrents to activities detrimental to environmental balance and awarding costs of damage by the law courts.

Originality/value

Measures to minimize landslide activity in the near future are presented.

Citation

Pande, R.K. (2006), "Landslide of Rishikesh‐Badrinath National Highway at Devprayag, District Tehri Garhwal, Uttaranchal (India)", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 256-261. https://doi.org/10.1108/09653560610659801