Following Wayanad landslides, Goa reactivates disaster management committee

CM Pramod Sawant chaired a Goa SDMC meeting in presence of Revenue Minister Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate & State Govt Officials/ X

In response to the recent Wayanad landslides, which killed more than 200 people, the Goa government has revived its high-level disaster management council. Ground-level revenue officials are now entrusted with reporting illegal hill-cutting activity.

On Friday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant presided over a high-level meeting of the state disaster management committee in Porvorim. Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserratte, as well as other senior officials, attended the meeting, reported PTI.

According to the report, speaking to the media after the meeting, Sawant stated that the Wayanad landslides pushed the state government to take action in order to prevent similar disasters from occurring in Goa. He pointed out that Goa shares the Sahyadri Hill ranges with Karnataka, Kerala, and Maharashtra, making it critical to remain cautious.

The committee, which has been renamed the State Disaster Management Authority, will have specialised staff working all year. Sawant recalled similar landslides in Sattari taluka's forests in 2022, which were caused by high rainfall and deforestation and affected the villages of Satrem, Karanzol, and Mauxi, the news agency report stated.

According to the report, Sawant stated that in recent years, minor landslides have occurred in several talukas, including Bardez, Mormugao, Sattari, Bicholim, Pernem, and Salcette. The reactivated group will now concentrate on identifying landslide-prone regions, particularly those near the foothills. The committee has the right to instantly halt any hill-cutting activities that are judged harmful to surrounding communities.

Another committee, consisting of mamlatdars (local revenue officers), zonal agriculture officers, and range forest officers, would monitor the situation in their respective districts. Sawant further stated that rules would be provided to the relevant departments, including revenue, forest, town and country planning, public works, panchayat, and urban development, to avoid construction in no-development zones and environmentally sensitive areas, the report added.

The state administration will also request assistance from the National Disaster Management Authority in identifying landslide-prone areas and developing early warning systems.