Idukki: ‘Beneath NCC airstrip, a stream used to flow’

IDUKKI: After a landslide caused large-scale damages to Idukki 's first airstrip at Satram near Vandiperiyar, forest department sources have said that a stream used to flow along the area where the airstrip was built.
A portion of the runway of the NCC airstrip was washed away in the recent rains following a landslide and a deep crack had also developed on it. PWD's technical wing who inspected the airstrip have decided to take immediate measures to avoid more damages.
According to NCC sources, PWD which is executing the project has not yet handed over the airstrip to it and hence, the present liability falls on PWD. An NCC source told TOI that PWD officials have informed that the contractor will repair the damaged portion of the airstrip. "NCC had earlier directed PWD to ensure a facility for diverting the water reaching the runway. But they failed to do so, resulting in the damages," said the source.
"The airstrip was aimed at providing training for NCC cadets. Now that a portion of the runway has caved in, it will take more time to complete the reconstruction works," said the source. A senior forest department official, however, said the airstrip is being constructed in a valley. "A stream used to flow along this way and the runway was constructed above it. After the rains, the stream was filled up with water and the land above caved in," said a forest officer.
Sajinkumar KS, assistant professor, department of geology at the University of Kerala said: “The physiography of the area reveals the presence of a first-order stream which is seasonal in nature. This is generally called topographic hollow. In disaster parlance, such topographic hollows are prone to landslides." The large-scale damages it suffered have raised questions over the airstrip’s future. The airstrip was constructed for Rs 12 crore and was supposed to be used to land small aircraft for training NCC cadets.
Earlier, an Idukki-based environmentalist had moved the high court against the project, and the issue is pending before the court. In his petition, he pointed out that the construction was being done on an environmentally fragile area.