Landslide-prone areas under NHAI, PWD watch

PUNE: Fixing of iron meshes and cleaning of nullahs are among the safety measures to be taken by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Public Works Department (PWD) at landslide-prone stretches along highways, following instructions by the district administration.
About five instances of landslides have been reported in the district in the last four days including one near Katraj tunnel on Pune-Satara highway on Tuesday.District officials on Wednesday said they have cautioned road authorities about taking safety measures including fixing of an iron mesh to arrest landslides, cleaning of nullahs and fixing of sign boards at vulnerable spots to alert road users.
“The district has many ghat sections and difficult terrain. But the conditions are not similar at every location so we have urged NHAI and PWD to take up the study with help from technical experts on every stretch and take a call on what precautionary measure are needed,” said an official from the district administration.
Major ghat sections in the district include Khandala ghat on Pune-Mumbai expressway, Varandha ghat located on Bhor-Shivtharghal Road, Pabe ghat in Velha, Dive ghat on Pune-Saswad stretch, Katraj ghat section and the new Katraj tunnel. Besides these many roads located in interior parts of Bhor, Velha, Ambegoan, Maval, Mulshi and Junnar have smaller ghat sections prone to landslides.
Officials said chances of landslides increase during concentrated/heavy rainfall situations. Boulders and mud on hill slopes cannot sustain a strong force of rainwater which leads to landslides. In the last three days many areas in the hilly regions of the districts have reported concentrated rainfall that has resulted in loosening of boulders in Sinhagad Ghat, Varandha Ghat and the new Katraj tunnel. Last year’s landslide at Malin village was an outcome of concentrated rainfall.
Road experts said they want the administration to put up boards on road stretches prone to landslides to alerts users about the possibility of landslides during heavy rain. Far-end lanes must be closed for vehicular traffic to avoid direct impact of landslides on vehicles.
Meanwhile, the administration has asked local citizens to update government authorities if they notice loosening of boulders or landslide-like situations. The administration has said that people can contact the control rooms at taluka headquarters or tehsil offices.