Dharali disaster reminds of Malpa landslide tragedy of 1998
Dharali disaster reminds of Malpa landslide tragedy of 1998
B.D. Kasniyal
Pithoragarh, Aug 12
After the Uttarakashi administration announced a list of 42 missing people probably buried under heavy debris brought by Kheer Ganga on August 6, this year, the deluge obviously brought into memory the Malpa landslide in Pithoragarh district that occurred on the night of August 17- 18, 1998, in which 202 persons were buried under heavy debris including 60 pilgrims of the 12th batch of Kailash Mansarowar Yatra that year.
“The landslide that occured at 11 pm on August 17, buried under debris, all the pilgrims, Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) workers deputed to cater to the yatra at Malpa camp, villagers of Malpa, small traders who used to sell essential goods for pilgrims and other trekkers, ITBP and police personnel and several Nepalese labourers,” said Dinesh Gururani, a KMVN employee who was manager of Bundi camp, next to Malpa camp, at that time, who was amongst those who reached the accident sight.
Dhan Singh, a KMVN employee at Dharchula, whose father Ram Singh a guard at Malpa camp that time, and one of 5 KMVN employees buried in that landslide, said that with sudden death of his father his five siblings became orphaned as their mother had died in their childhood.
“Had our family not been supported by giving job by KMVN, we would have been struggling even today to survive,” said Dhan Singh.
Only two persons, namely Amar Singh and Kalyan Singh, pony owners from Pangla village could remain safe as they were staying near PWD guest house Malpa, that remained safe from the massive landslide.
“The incident caught widespread attention of media nationwide since amongst the dead were Protima Bedi, wife of actor Kabir Bedi who was herself a renounced Odissi dancer,” said Gururani
The ill-fated pilgrim’s batch had to reach the Bundi camp on that night but it was stopped at Malpa due to blockage of way to Bundi.
“Despite army, ITBP, civil police and local villagers running the search and rescue work for several days, none of the bodies, except three bodies of ITBP jawans could be found in the entire operation,” said Gururani.
The work to search buried bodies ran for next 15 days but it had to be abandoned as the scent of rotten flesh started nauseating making it difficult for rescuers stand there. The Kailash Mansarowar yatra of that year was stopped thereafter but it was resumed from next year.
“After that the Malpa camp was abandoned for yatra nodal agency KMVN and camps were selected on safe places,” said Gururani.
According to sources, KMVN later erected a memorial in memory of buried pilgrims at Malpa but it also got buried in another landslide in the same place that occured in 2017. “Today the accident sight at Malpa is deserted at the surface beneath the Kailash Mansarowar pilgrims and other are resting,” said Gururani.
