Gap Road in Munnar faces landslip threat- NSP NEWS

The resumption of traffic on the Gap Road stretch of the Kochi-Dhanushkodi national highway in Munnar is likely to be delayed further due to persisting threat of more landslips during the rainy season. A major landslip occurred on the stretch on Friday morning. Huge rocks and soil fell on the Chemmannar road of the Gap Road stretch following heavy rain. Following this, the district administration temporarily suspended traffic on the route.

“The recent landslip poses the threat of more landslips due to shaken stones in the hills. Allowing traffic on this route during the time of heavy rain is risky,” said a source.

National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) assistant executive engineer Rex Felix told The Hindu that debris removal was not yet completed. “If heavy rain continues, we cannot allow travel on this route. Traffic on the road will resume only after inspection of the stretch,” said Mr. Felix.

Devikulam Subcollector Rahul Krishna Sharma said the NHAI officials have been inspecting the stretch. “The district administration can resume traffic on the Gap Road stretch only after the final recommendation from the NHAI,” said Mr. Sharma.

Environmentalist M.N. Jayachandran said that till 2019, there were no landslips reported on the Gap Road stretch during the monsoon season. “During the 2018 floods, several landslips were reported in many parts of Munnar but no landslips were reported on the Gap Road stretch. The recent landslip clearly indicates that the stretch is not suitable for travel during the rainy season,” he said.

Earlier, road traffic along the Gap Road stretch was suspended for nearly six months following a major landslip in June 2020. Another major landslip on August 6 the same year destroyed large areas of cardamom plantations on the downhill areas. A road stretch of 200 m was also damaged in the landslips.

According to sources, the region has witnessed 20 major and minor landslips since the beginning of road-widening works. The ₹268.2-crore road-widening works on the 41 km-long Munnar-Bodimettu stretch was started in 2017.