Central team assesses damage caused by flashfloods in Seraj, Karsog

A five-member multi-disciplinary Central team visited several disaster-affected areas of the Seraj Assembly constituency in Mandi district on the second day of their visit today. Yesterday, the team members visited villages that had been badly impacted by cloudbursts, heavy rain and landslides in Karsog subdivision.

They conducted scientific and environmental assessment of the causes behind the recurring natural calamities that had devastated the hilly regions of the state over the past few years. The Central Government had constituted the team to study the pattern, geological triggers and long-term implications of such disasters in the region.

In Seraj, the Central team inspected several affected sites such as Pandav Shila, Lambathach, Diazy village in Thunag and Bagsyad. They held discussions with Revenue and Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi, who briefed them about the ground realities and the extent of the damage caused. He highlighted the growing frequency of such natural disasters in the region and called for a long-term disaster mitigation strategy.

Meanwhile, the team also surveyed disaster-affected regions in Karsog subdivision yesterday, particularly Sarkol and Shankar Dehra villages, which recently faced devastation due to intense rainfall and associated landslides. The central team collected on-site data, interacted with local officials and reviewed the condition of infrastructure and communities affected by the events.

The key objectives of the team’s visit were studying the geological and environmental factors contributing to frequent disasters, evaluating the short- and long-term impacts on local populations and infrastructure and identifying measures to strengthen the region’s disaster resilience.

The multi-disciplinary team comprised eminent scientists, engineers, geologists, and disaster management professionals from leading national institutions. The members include Col KP Singh, Adviser (Operations and Command), NDMA, Union Ministry of Home Affairs (Team Leader); Dr S Negi, Chief Scientist, CSIR-CBRI, Roorkee; Arun Kumar, Retired Geologist, Manipur University; Dr Sushmita Joseph, Research Scientist; and Dr Neelima Satyam, Professor of Civil Engineering, IIT-Indore.

The team was assisted by local officials like Nayab Tehsildar Jitender Kumar and district administration and department representatives. The findings of this field visit are expected to contribute to a comprehensive strategy to mitigate \future natural disasters in the Himalayan region.

Himachal Tribune