Our Correspondent
KOHIMA, APRIL 18
With Kohima town, Nagaland’s capital, being geologically-unstable and vulnerable to disasters such as landslides and earthquakes, the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA) has published a report about the district’s terrain stability.
The report identified the vulnerable zones in Kohima town to help planners to help retrofit the township into safer settlement.
According to the report which was released in the town on Monday, the town extends over an immature and mountainous terrain with an approximate area of 28.55 sqkms and has been experiencing fast urbanization since 1963 without proper planning and building codes.
The rapid urbanization, coupled with haphazard developments with little or no planning, has deteriorated diversely, compromising the stability of the terrain. The intense monsoon is also a factor that initiates frequent landslides in the area, the NSDMA study said.
Leaning more towards the hazards posed by landslides, the study stated that Kohima being geologically-unstable, it must be regulated that the maximum height limit of a building should not exceed 17m or 4 stories, in accordance with the BIS building codes and other Himalayan state building codes.
Some of the field observations made in the report included construction of roads and buildings without adequate slope support structure; inadequate surface and sub-surface drainage in colonies/wards of Kohima town and random obstruction of drainages; poor maintenance of natural drainages and “nullahs” by random waste accumulation posing hazards to the neighbourhood; random erection of buildings without site investigation in previous landslide areas and without following proper technical specifications; lack of proper building/infrastructure development code (IDC)for regulation; random increase of overhead load pressure ‘storied buildings’ in steep slopes; inadequate maintenance of water pipelines, storage tanks, septic tanks etc; lack of safety measures in the neighbourhood in susceptible landslide areas; Ignorance of general public on vulnerable hazards and safety measures relating to geo-hazards like landslide, earthquake, flash-floods, cloudbursts etc; and lack of coordination between line departments in executing infrastructure developmental activities like roads, buildings, power lines, water pipelines etc.
Along with these observations, the report suggested several points of action and policy for the state government to consider that may be applied not just for Kohima but throughout the state to mitigate vulnerability to occurrences such as landslides.
The suggested action plan also included establishing necessary techno-legal and techno-financial mechanisms to address the problem of landslide hazards in the state, while ensuring that all stakeholders like builders, architects, engineers and government departments responsible for regulation and enforcement adopt land use-safe practices and provide safety norms as far as slope stability is concerned in landslide affected areas in particular, and hilly areas in general.
It also proposed the need for the state government to consult with local bodies to prepare master town plans and country planning for individual urban centres and large villages; putting in place Building Regulations/Byelaws to provide mandatory techno-legal framework for regulating building activities from planning, design and completion of the construction.
The NSDMA study also pointed out the need for the Nagaland government to consult with the local community organizations to establish systematic land use zoning for public utilities, lifeline structures, public and government institutions, residential areas, greenbelt, playground, parks etc. It is also suggested including preparations of master-plans for drainage and sewage network systems.
In addition to these, preparing a comprehensive and user-friendly landslide inventory database, landslide hazard map and seismic landslide hazard zonation maps for a holistic approach in town and country planning, including detailed geological and geo-technical investigations, was also suggested.
At the policy level, the study proposed to the state government a ‘landslide control board’ to taking up risk treatment, monitoring, awareness and preparation, capacity development, and research and development.
