Manipur: Noney landslide due to unprotected slope cut for railway project, says GSI report

The area where the landslide occurred is a ‘highly susceptible zone’ as per the National Landslide Susceptibility Mapping (NLSM) of 2019, said the report.

The landslide was so massive that it swept away an area of 0.6 sq km of the hill slope of Maranching and the debris completely blocked the flow of the Ijai river. (File)

A preliminary assessment report of the Geological Survey of India (GSI) pointed out that the recent landslide at the Tupul Railway Station in Noney district of Manipur that claimed several lives was caused by an extensive and unprotected slope cut for the construction of the 110-km Imphal-Jiribam railway project.

The area where the landslide occurred is a ‘highly susceptible zone’ as per the National Landslide Susceptibility Mapping (NLSM) of 2019, said the report.

Some other factors that triggered the landslides include dumping of debris which limited the normal water flow of the Ijai river, dumping of unconsolidated materials used for temporary constructions and improper hillside drainage along the slope, the report noted.

The preliminary assessment of the landslide was carried out on July 1, 2022 by a team of officers from the GSI Imphal office. The report was submitted on July 8. As per the report, the landslide occurred in three phases. The first landslide (Part-A) occurred at 12.30 am on June 30 while the second (Part B) was triggered at 6 am the same day. The movement of the landslide in part B was observed till the forenoon of July 2, the report said, adding, the third slide (Part C) was the one that did the maximum damage.

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The initial report said, “The initiation of this complex and successive slide can be traced to initiation near Part-C in the cut slope, thus removing the toe support. Unprecedented rainfall that caused high water recharge of the slope due to convergence of streams within Part-A near the break in slope at the crown part led to the initiation of slide at Part-A, and consequently triggered the slide in Part-B. Landslide at Part-C is caused by the extensive slope cut.”

The landslide was so massive that it swept away an area of 0.6 sq km of the hill slope of Maranching and the debris completely blocked the flow of the Ijai river. An under-construction railway platform and the Tupul railway station were damaged along with an Army, a railway camp and a labour camp.

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As an immediate remedial measure, the GSI team suggested allowing free flow of the Ijai river. The debris can be cleared in a phased manner in order to recover the bodies that are still believed to be trapped under it. The report also asked the general public to stay away from the active slide zone. GSI has also mentioned that a detailed study is essential to suggest long-term remedial measures.

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The landslide that occurred on the intervening night of June 29 and 30 claimed as many as 56 lives and five persons are still missing. Most of the victims are personnel of the Territorial Army stationed near the under-construction Tupul Railway station. Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh termed the incident as the biggest natural disaster that struck the state. Operations are still on to recover the missing bodies.