Big cracks appear on the hill in Uttarakhand, a large part of Garhwal including Badrinath-Kedarnath Dham may be cut off from Rishikesh
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A big danger is looming over the hill of Totaghati situated on the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway. Big cracks have been seen on many rocks here. Experts say that if the size of these cracks increases, a part of the hill may slide.
If this happens, a large part of Garhwal including Badrinath-Kedarnath Dham will be cut off from Rishikesh. In view of this danger, the technical team of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Public Works Department (PWD) is monitoring the cracks along with geologists and soon they will be surveyed again.
According to Prof. Mahendra Pratap Singh Bisht, senior geologist and head of the department of geology of Hemvati Nandan Bahganana Central University, who is studying the mountains of Uttarakhand and their internal structures, the rocks of Totaghati are made of limestone. Cracks keep appearing in it with time.
His team has been identifying such places from time to time and informing the concerned departments including NHAI. Prof. Bisht said that the cracks on the Totaghati hills are several hundred meters deep.
It is evident that the danger is not only on the upper surface but also in the internal structure of the mountain. He said that the structure of the cracks on the Totaghati hills is such that if these cracks grow or break, a part of the hill will slide. In such a situation, the Rishikesh Badrinath National Highway can be completely closed and the lifeline of entire Garhwal can be disrupted.
Prof. Bisht said that there are four big cracks on the top of the hill about 300 meters above the point where the road crosses Totaghati. Their width is two and a half to three feet. It is very difficult to estimate their depth. It has not been estimated yet how long these cracks have been there. These cracks are being continuously monitored.
He said that only after continuous monitoring for at least four months, the exact condition of the cracks and their behavior can be accurately estimated. A detailed report of all the data obtained from monitoring will be sent to the experts of THDC. THDC engineers and geologists will study the report and suggest measures to deal with these cracks.
