Kargil,February 01, (Scoop News)-The Deputy commissioner Kargil, G Prasanna Ramaswamy, along with the Executive Councilor, Tourism, Power and Zanskar Affairs, LAHDC, KARGIL, Skalzang Wangyal aerially surveyed the site of the massive landslide on the Tserab river near Shun village in the Zanskar Sub Division of Kargil District to assess the exact threat posed by the artificial dam and the 14 km long artificial reservoir formed in the wake of the landslide and to prepare for the visit of the National Disaster Management Team later this month.
The visit was followed by an emergency review meeting at Padum, Zanskar chaired by the Deputy Commissioner in the presence of the EC, Zanskar Affairs.
The meeting was attended by members of the civil administration represented by the Sub Divisional Magistrate Sh. Rajesh Basotra, Station House Officer Padum, Assistant Director Tourism Zanskar, Block Medical Officer Zanskar, SDAO BSNL Zanskar, Zonal Education officer Zanskar, other officers of Zanskar Sub-Division and officers from the Indian Army and Air Force.
The Deputy Commissioner directed the Sub-Divisional Magistrate Zanskar and the BSNL authorities to make sure that the 24 hrs emergency response centers at Padum and Phuktal (near the land slide site) are fully staffed and functional. The Deputy Commissioner further directed that the SDM shall prepare a fresh list of hamlets/villages likely to be affected in the eventuality of a complete breach of the artificial dam which is 50 metres high and 95 metres wide in light of the observations made by the EC, Zanskar Affairs. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate Zanskar was directed to prepare a list of contact persons in the villages likely to be affected in order to prepare a foolproof emergency evacuation and relief plan.
The Deputy Commissioner also sought the opinion of the army and air force officers present in the meeting regarding emergency preparedness and called upon them to work in tandem with the civil administration in preparing for the emergency caused due to the landslide. The Deputy Commissioner also suggested the constitution of an organization of public representatives representing members of the civil society of Zanskar to co-ordinate with the civil administration in the event of the sudden breach of the blockage in the river Tserab.
MORE AT http://scoopnews.in/det.aspx?q=44280