PORVORIM: The massive landslide at Wayanad in Kerala is an eye-opener for Goa, said Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday, and assured the Legislative Assembly that all precautionary measures will be taken to prevent such incidents in the State.
Over 250 people have been killed and more feared dead after landslides flattened entire villages in Wayanad on July 30. The hilly district had received around 580 mm of rainfall in 48 hours prior to the disaster.
Revenue Minister Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate said the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) will issue an advisory to all planning and development authorities to strictly enforce all preventive measures while granting permissions and licences for development.
Replying to a calling attention notice tabled by Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao, Sanvordem MLA Ganesh Gaonkar, and others, the Chief Minister said the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has identified four key landslide-prone hotspots in Goa, which are located in the high-altitude northeastern and eastern parts of the State and in low-lying areas of the western and southwestern regions.
He said, according to the GSI report, the major causes for the landslides in Goa are extreme rainfall events, slope instability, and geological factors.
“We are taking precautions. We will get surveys conducted, wherever required, with the concerned authorities or institutions. Wayanad is an eye-opener. We are giving strict instructions to get a study done of the spots that have been mentioned in the report,” Sawant said.
He said ecologically sensitive areas and hilly regions with slopes of more than 25 percent need to be maintained, and if this is done, incidents like Wayanad will not happen.
Revenue Minister Monserrate said the Landslide Atlas of India, prepared by the National Remote Sensing Centre, ISRO, Hyderabad, in February 2023, had ranked the North and South Goa districts at 111th and 121st respectively regarding the exposure to landslides among the 147 landslide-prone districts of the country.
He said the government has identified and mapped the landslide-prone areas in both North and South Goa districts, and the same have been incorporated in the State and District Disaster Management Plans.
The Revenue Minister said Goa had witnessed at least 15 minor to medium-level landslide incidents, including the landslide at Anmod Ghat in Dharbandora, which caused a blockage of the National Highway due to
debris. However, timely action was taken by the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) through Fire and Emergency Services and PWD to clear the debris, he added.