We are barely in the second or third day of the monsoon season and Goa has witnessed a landslide. The onset of monsoon has triggered a major landslide on the Verna-Cortalim highway in the wee hours of Saturday thereby blocking a major portion of the highway stretch disrupting vehicular traffic and causing minor accidents. It was by divine providence that there was no loss of life or major injury to the road-users. Be that as it may, human intervention in nature is one of the primary causes of landslides. One such is deforestation. Many areas in the state have become more vulnerable to landslides due to the indiscriminate cutting of trees. According to geologists, the unscientific cutting of hills for the construction of buildings and housing projects alongside the roads as also for broadening the roads is one of the primary reasons for landslides. A heavy rainfall is sufficient to make the rocks and boulders come hurtling down. In Goa there has been a lot of hill cutting and cutting of trees in order to broaden the various roads. Retaining walls need to be built wherever necessary.
