Leaking septic tanks pose threat to geology of McLeodganj town

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, August 7

Leaking septic tanks in the hill town of McLeodganj have rendered the entire area prone to landslides. The top layer of the hill where the town is located is the worst affected.

Two major landslides have already been reported since the advent of the monsoon. The main road to the town is the most vulnerable. However, the state government and the local administration are yet to take any remedial steps in this regard.

Dr AK Mahajan from the department of environmental sciences, Central University Himachal Pradesh, said land texture in the hill town comprised sand stone at the base, clay stone in the middle and loose soil at the top.

“The region gets very heavy rainfall. Due to steep gradient, water does not percolate into the soil and drains very quickly. Since there was no sewerage system in McLeodganj, residents have constructed septic tanks for disposal, which are considered dangerous for soil strata. The town’s upper soil layer does not have water retaining capacity and becomes prone to a landslide after water percolates slowly into it,” he said.

Professor Mahajan, who has conducted an extensive study on the geology of Dharamsala region, said besides the septic tanks, leaking pipelines of the IPH department were also aggravating the situation. If immediate steps were not taken, the entire upper layer of the hill could come down.

Professor Mahajan said he had also earmarked some areas in Dharamsala that were active sliding zones. These included Terra Lines and Chola village, which had witnessed massive landslides in the past one year. He said despite several threats, unplanned constructions continued in the region.

Sources said unscientific cutting of hills for the construction of hotels and other commercial properties alongside the roads was also one of the primary reasons for increasing threat of landslides. At several places, buildings have been constructed below the unstable hill strata that pose threat to structures below them.

Unscientific hill cutting

Unscientific cutting of hills for the construction of hotels and other commercial properties alongside the roads is also one of the primary reasons for increasing threat of landslides. At several places, buildings have been constructed below the unstable hill strata that pose threat to structures below them.