Gopeshwar: Social activists have blamed the death of eight workers in an avalanche that hit a BRO camp at Mana in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district last week on “administrative negligence” and said the lives could have been saved had the authorities paid heed to a snowslide warning.
They also blame “reckless construction” works in avalanche-prone areas for the rise in snowslide incidents.
The Chandigarh-based Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment (DGRE) issued an avalanche warning for a 24-hour period at 5 pm February 27 for places located above the height of 2,400 metres such as Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar districts of Uttarakhand.
The avalanche hit the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp in Chamoli between 5.30 am and 6 am February 28, trapping 54 workers. While 46 of them were rescued alive, eight were found dead.
Atul Sati, a social worker and the convener of Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, said “administrative negligence” led to the death of the eight workers. “There was an avalanche warning, and authorities should have acted on time,” he said.
Following the incident, the Uttarakhand government issued an advisory for tourists staying in skiing destination Auli which has no history of avalanches, Sati said and alleged that it looks like an attempt to divert people’s attention from the state’s failure.
“When there was a warning and the authorities were aware that such a large number of workers were in Mana, why weren’t they advised to move to safety?” asked another social activist.
The weather office in Dehradun issued a yellow alert for February 27, two days in advance, predicting isolated heavy rain and snowfall in locations situated at 3,500 meters and above. However, the State Emergency Operations Centre here alerted the district magistrates concerned February 28, when the avalanche had already hit the camp.
Over the last four years, two dwelling units of BRO workers have been destroyed by avalanches in the Chamoli district alone. An avalanche in April 2021 destroyed a settlement of workers in Niti Valley adjoining the Indo-Tibet border, killing many labourers.
Experts feel that the snowslides are a result of reckless construction being carried out in avalanche-prone areas.
Renowned geologist MPS Bisht, an expert on weather movements in the Kedar Valley, said the entire area is vulnerable to avalanches that keep coming from the Nar Parvat.
Construction activities are being carried out recklessly even in areas identified for vulnerability without thinking over the consequences, he said. “Disasters are the result of this.”
The latest avalanche has once again brought into focus the “failure” of authorities to learn from past experiences, said social activist Mangala Kothiyal.
“April 22-23, 2021, a BRO camp at Rimkhim in the Niti Valley area was hit by an avalanche, killing eight labourers. This time, it was the Mana Valley’s turn. The victims, once again, were BRO workers. We are not learning lessons from our past experiences,” Kothiyal said.
Avalanches occur more during winters in the valleys of the upper Himalayan region where Badrinath and Mana are situated, but they can occur in any season in the snow-clad mountains.
Surveyors or mountaineers visiting these areas stay alert about such disasters. It is also true of the army and paramilitary forces. Winter defence posts are built at such places where the danger of avalanches is less, Kothiyal said.
An example of this is an army camp built at a distance of less than two hundred meters from the accident site in Badrinath, which is evacuated in winter due to the danger of avalanches.
Pitambar Molfa, the village head of Mana, said, “Earlier, even the labourers used to leave their container houses during winters to live in relatively safe houses in Badrinathpuri. It did not happen this time as authorities felt there was not enough snow in the area yet.”
“The avalanche should serve as a wake-up call. Permission to go to these areas should be given only when it is necessary. When the weather department issues an alert, people living in these areas should be alerted,” Molfa said.
PTI
