Mizoram ropes in experts to assess rockfall-prone zones after tragic incident
Inspections were conducted at multiple vulnerable sites, including Pukpui Falls and areas affected by Cyclone Remal in 2023.
Aizawl, May 14: In the aftermath of the recent rockfall tragedy that claimed the lives of three persons from a single family, the Mizoram Government has brought in two experts to assess high-risk zones and recommend preventive measures.
Manthan Chauhan, senior manager of Maccaferri Geo-technical Solutions, and Dr C Sawmliana, Chief Scientist at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CSIR-CIMFR), arrived here on Monday to carry out onsite inspections and assess risks.
Accompanied by Aizawl Deputy Commissioner Lalhriatpuia, who is also the chairman of the District Dis-aster Management Authority (DDMA) as well as senior officials from the State's Geology and Mining Department, Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Department, Public Works Department (PWD), and Mizoram University's Geology faculty, the experts visited Pukpui Falls along the Aizawl-Lengpui Airport Road. This site witnessed the fatal incident of April 28 involving the death of a couple and their daughter after a massive rockfall crushed their vehicle. Their son was critically injured in the incident.
The inspection team also visited Ngaizel in south Aizawl, which is prone to frequent rockfalls. Further studies were conducted at Melt-hum and Hlimen on the city's southern outskirts, where 25 people lost their lives in a devastating rockfall and landslide triggered by Cyclone Remal on May 27 and 28 last year.
Maccaferri, an Italian company dating back to 1879, is known for inventing the 'Gabion Wall' in 1893, a technology that continues to play a vital role in landslide and erosion control projects across the globe.