DEHRADUN, UTTARAKHAND — A recent wave of devastating landslides across the Doon Valley, triggered by torrential downpours, has intensified warnings from geologists over reckless construction practices in Uttarakhand’s capital. Experts are cautioning that development, particularly in the foothills of Mussoorie, is dangerously encroaching upon highly unstable geological zones.
Main Boundary Thrust: A 10-Million-Year-Old Threat
The primary source of the region vulnerability is the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) a 10-million-year-old active fault line that runs through the area.
Research by the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology and HNB Garhwal Central University has specifically identified the stretch from Maldevta to Bidhouli as a highly sensitive zone.
Professor M.P.S. Bisht, Head of Geology at HNB Garhwal University, stressed the severe instability caused by the MBT’s movement. “The activity along this fault means that rocks millions of years old are currently overriding the Doon sediments, which are only about 25,000 years old,” Prof. Bisht explained. He noted this is a dangerous reversal of the normal geological order and demands extreme caution.
Calls for Immediate Building Restrictions
In light of this geological instability, experts are calling for immediate regulatory action. Suggestions include an immediate halt to building permits on steep slopes in areas like Maldevta and strict regulation of building heights across the vulnerable zone.
Geological Link to Lightning Strikes
The region geology has also been linked to recent cloudbursts and lightning strikes in areas like Sahasradhara. Prof. Bisht noted that the same sensitivity in limestone hills that led to a ban on mining is now attracting more lightning.
He explained the scientific mechanism: “Limestone hills, due to their specific chemical properties, generate positive energy on a large scale through ionisation. This process attracts atmospheric lightning.” When negative energy released from the interaction of rain, oxygen, and atmospheric nitrogen meets this positive energy, grounding occurs, leading to a lightning strike precisely on the sensitive limestone sites.
While lightning causes rocks to crack and exacerbates structural damage during heavy rains, Prof. Bisht concluded that the resulting damage could be mitigated through the use of modern advanced lightning conductors.a