Report filed by the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology on the massive land sinking at Pernote village in Ramban district of Jammu & Kashmir, 27/01/2025
Report filed by the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology regarding the massive land sinking at Pernote village in Ramban district of Jammu & Kashmir. It was said that massive construction activities, including road expansions and construction of tunnels in eco-fragile zones in various area of Jammu & Kashmir was the cause behind the problem.
The news had appeared in greaterkashmir.com dated April 29, 2024 titled "Land sinking: A new environmental challenge in J & K". The news report had also mentioned that if these activities are conducted without environmental impact assessment (EIA), these are bound to disturb the ecosystem.
The Wadia Institute had constituted a scientific committee to investigate the area and submit a report.
The landslide struck Pernote village, April 25, 2024 in Ramban district of Jammu & Kashmir. The event caused massive damage to many houses, power lines, transmission towers, Ramban-Gool link road and the water supply was also disrupted. A team of scientists from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun carried out a geological investigation around the affected slope at Pernote village.
A detailed report was prepared mentioning the landslide causative factors and the recommendations. The report said that the nature of the landslide was a debris slide. At Pernote and its adjacent area, it is observed that during heavy rainfall most of infiltration through these water sensitive lithologies (alteration of mudstones, siltstones and sandstones) usually oozes out as seepage. Geologically the landslide occurred at the top of the footwall block of the Murree Thrust. Murree Thrust zone is one of the two zones in the Himalaya that is highly prone to landslides and affected by severe erosion due to shearing and weathering of the rocks.
A number of old landslide scars are observed in the slope where the present landslide occurred. Ramban area including Pernote village is located in a seismically active zone (Zone lV-V as per India's seismic zonation). However, no such geological phenomena, like seismic activity. have been noticed or reported anywhere till now in the landslide-affected area.
Prolonged rainfall was the triggering factor for the landslide. as the area received continuous rain before the landslide. The water-saturated sediments got swelled, and their low permeability reduces the shear strength of the sediments, resulting in the mass of sediment sliding along the steep slope.
The report recommended that the first step for slope stabilization is to get rid of the water by dewatering the affected slope and diverting the water away from the landslide area as water is the main agent for slope instability. Drainage work should be used both in surface and sub-surface. Barren upper slopes should be afforested - plantations of fast growing root/eucalyptus, alder, willow should be done to arrest the unconsolidated sediments. Slope should be benched. Bioengineering techniques should be used to stabilize the affected slopes, the report recommended.