NNWN/ New Delhi, 2017-01-29
Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat on Sunday said that heavy shelling by Pakistani troops are triggering avalanches in places like Jammu and Kashmir besides global warming and ecological changes. This had not reported such instances earlier, he added. He also made an appeal to families of the jawans who lost their lives in the avalanches to bear with them because of bad weather conditions in the Kashmir valley. Multiple avalanches have hit Jammu and Kashmir in the past few days forcing the people living in these areas to vacate their houses. As many as 15 army men lost their lives due to avalanches in the Kashmir valley.
Paying homage to Major Amit Sagar who lost his life in an avalanche on January 25 at Sonmarg, Army Chief Rawat said,"Ceasefire violations and use of heavy weapons by Pakistani troops are leading to loosening of soil, hereby creating danger of a landslide. Global warming is also leading to cracks in glaciers." He said that Major Amit Sagar, officer of the Territorial Army, had volunteered for the posting despite the hardships there. As many as 21 persons, including 15 army men, have been killed since last week due to avalanches and snowfall-related deaths in Kashmir valley. "Due to global warming, glaciers are witnessing cracks. There are avalanches in areas which had not reported such cases earlier. Avalanches have occurred in Dawar areas, Machil sectors. We have erected some posts for counter-infiltration. Some posts are very near to enemy posts.
"There has been a lot of ceasefire violations and heavy weapons too are being used. Many times it affects the soil and loosens it up. When there is a heavy snowfall on such a loose soil and if there is a slope, it triggers danger of an avalanche," Rawat said. He said the Army withdraws troops from places where there is possibility of an avalanche. However, some posts are vulnerable to insurgency. Our soldiers are facing it (the danger). Their task is counter-infiltration and despite the hardships they are doing their duty. I wish to assure you (the soldiers). You have been doing your duty with dedication (but) we have to deal with infiltration, he said. He said the Army has been taking help of the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment, a laboratory under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), to map avalanche-prone areas.