settled in the lap of the Himalayas Joshimath These days the government is rehabilitating the residents of the city at other places as the roads and houses in the area have developed cracks. Nearly a quarter of the city’s 2,500 buildings have either bowed or caved in. experts say that it disaster It was bound to happen because the authorities ignored warnings given for decades while building roads and hydropower projects.
One of the major reasons for the accident is reportedly the weak foundation of the city which has already been built on the debris of the landslide. Poor layout of the drainage system in the area is also a major reason behind the accident. Several steps could have been taken to avoid or mitigate the current situation. But the inefficiency of local officials and government agencies has once again exposed their mismanagement which has been going on in Uttarakhand on a large scale for a long time.
engineering methods that could be used
Due to the geological condition of the Himalayas, this area has always been at risk. Due to the process of mountain-building and construction work at high altitude, stability cannot be maintained here for a long time. Despite this, several methods are adopted around the world to ensure minimum damage from natural calamities and to strengthen mountainous regions. Researcher Dr. Santosh Joshi, working on a project of the Ministry of Earth Sciences to monitor earthquakes in the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand, told News9 that one of the most basic methods is the use of efficient retaining walls by creating a level ground.
Before starting any construction, the soil becomes loose during excavation. Any construction on such a basis is a direct invitation to disaster, as happened in Joshimath. Before applying the retainer, it is necessary to set the soil completely at the bottom of the trench. Risk remains during road construction in mountainous areas. This can give rise to landslides. Landslides may occur while cutting the road or another accident may occur at the place where landslides have already taken place.
In the midst of landslides occurring all over Uttarakhand, making roads there and cutting or breaking stones has always been a risky task. The disaster can be reduced in the most efficient way by putting thick nails in soil nailing. This makes the foundation very strong. He further said that mortar is filled in the cracks and stress resistant steel nails are used to strengthen the temporary or permanent mining. Gravity is also taken care of during construction.
Three to six feet deep digging is done in the soil. Stress resistant steel bars are inserted inside the holes drilled in the surface parallel to the ground. All these are filled with spices and frozen well. A drainage system is made and a strong concrete wall is also made. Finally the bearing plates are attached to the nail heads in the soil. Due to this, the ground becomes stronger and the possibility of cracks decreases.
The problem in Joshimath was loose ground in the foundation. The weight of construction on it added to the problem. If methods like tightening of earthen nails and bolting were adopted earlier, then the damage caused by the flow of water or the problems caused by the construction would not have happened today.
drainage problem
YP Sundriyal, head of the Geology Department at HNB Garhwal University, told that there is no proper drainage system in Joshimath. The seepage of water underground has weakened the rocks over time. This resulted in landslides and cracks in the houses. The layout of the land used during construction in Joshimath is not correct. Disorganization in drainage was also a major concern here. Due to the release of underground water, the underground part of the land is sinking. In such a situation, cracks and fractures are coming in the place where there is infrastructure. Many buildings are also falling down.
If ground water management was done before construction in the township and monitoring of nearby water sources with latest methods, the loss of soil in the foundation could have been reduced. Geophysical methods are being used worldwide to reduce such disasters. In order to prevent such accidents, construction is done by anticipating the earthquake waves beforehand. To ensure that such environmental hazards do not occur in the future, the government should keep in mind that safeguards should be implemented before a disaster occurs, not after.
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