Will there be a disaster in Uttarakhand? Earthquake, drought, everything will happen! Expert warns, water will run out

On one hand, rain has become a problem for people in Bageshwar, Uttarakhand, on the other hand, people are facing problems due to uncontrolled mining. Due to this mining, the problem of land subsidence and drying of water sources has started. A team of government experts has informed the NGT about this entire matter and said that if this problem is not resolved in time, then an incident like the landslide that happened in Jyotirmath can happen here too. The committee has also said that there can be major environmental and geological damage in this area.

What did the expert committee find in its investigation?

This committee included experts from the Geological Survey of India, the Uttarakhand Landslide Management Center, Department of Geology and Mining, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing. The committee surveyed 61 soapstone mines in Bageshwar, Kanda and Dugankuri tehsils. The investigation found that mining was being done in an unsafe manner. In the mines, vertical cutting is being done without any staircase structure (bench), due to which the mountains are becoming unstable.

Mining is being done very close to people’s homes

Apart from this, the debris coming out of the mining is being dumped directly into the natural drains, which is stopping the flow of water. The team has also told that mining work is being done near the homes, fields and water sources of the local people. The team has also given information and said that the risk of earthquake is increasing in the area. Bageshwar falls in earthquake zone V, which is the most risky area. This has further increased the risk of landslides and rock falls.

Situation like Jyotirmath

The committee warned that the current mining operations in Bageshwar could create a situation like Jyotirmath, where in January 2023, more than 800 houses had developed cracks due to poor drainage and weak geology. The committee said that there is no documentation of changes in the slopes and no map of water sources has been made, making regulation difficult.

Complaints from locals

Residents of the Kanda-Kanyal valley, where several mines are located, have complained of frequent landslides, cracks in houses, reduced crop production and drying up of water sources. The committee found that land deformation is taking place in many places and many springs have either dried up or their quality has deteriorated. Satellite data also confirmed land changes in mining areas. In some places, mining activities are taking place just a few metres away from homes and farms, which is a violation of environmental rules and increases the risk of slope collapse during the monsoon.