Close contour trenches dug up atop Talacauvery Hills: DC
December 30, 2020
Madikeri: Kodagu Deputy Commissioner (DC) Annies Kanmani Joy has ordered the Forest Department to close ‘Ingu Gundi’ (soak pits) and contour trenches atop Brahmagiri Hill ranges at
Talacauvery.
In the wake of Geological Survey of India (GSI) submitting its primary report on the devastating landslip on the night of Aug. 5 this year where Gajagiri Hill (Brahmagiri Hill Range) collapsed, the DC has asked the Forest Department to take remedial measures within the next monsoon.
Two houses at the foot of Gajagiri Hill with its five residents, including the chief priest of the Talacauvery Temple were swept away and vast swathes of coffee plantations were buried under the debris on Aug. 5. The GSI report has found that a series of ‘Ingu Gundi’ dug up by the Forest Department was the main cause for the Hill to collapse. ‘Ingu Gundis’ are small pits to collect rainwater for recharging groundwater. The DC issued this direction at a meeting held at Talacauvery Forest Guest House on Friday that was attended by Forest Department officials, GSI officers Aizaz from Jammu and Kashmir, Kamal Kumar from Uttar Pradesh and Senthil Kumar from Tamil Nadu. The officers told the DC that ‘Ingu Gundi’ and trenches must not be dug up atop any mountain range in Kodagu that is near to human habitation.