Urban News

Ooty, July 31: The Geological Survey of India (GSI) is extending a helping hand to the Nilgiris district administration by taking up investigations related to landslide monitoring around the district to evolve a mechanism to create an early warning system in the hills highly prone to catastrophic landslides, especially during the rainy season.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Mr Thanavelu, senior geologist of Geological Survey of India, said the organisation, now a nodal agency to carry out landslide investigation acro-ss the country, has chosen Nilgiris to monitor landslides and to assist the administration in dealing with related problems.

GSI has selected Kateri belt, near Coonoor, on the Coonoor-Mettupalayam road, as the primary investigation area as frequent incidence of landslides were reported in this belt in the recent past.

Mr Thanavelu said the investigation is carried out in three stages nam-ely, geo-mapping, surface investigation and geo-physical investigation.

In the Kateri belt, with geo-mapping and soil-testing already over, GSI is concentrating on surface investigation.

In the surface investigation method, in-situ soil testing of the select area was done and in continuation of that, GSI has now taken up sub-surface investigation.

For this, drills have been made in 30 select spots around Kateri and 30 pillars installed in those spots on Thursday to monitor the movement of the soil mass.

The GSI team will regularly monitor these pillars to see whether any creeps are formed and if there is any movement of the soil mass.