Why the Landslides Destroyed Buildings in Hakha?

Landslides occur each year around Hakha City especially Dawrthar Market block experiences more heavy losses because of its unstable surface. 11 homes were partially or totally destroyed by the landslides as of June 12, 2013 and 10 houses were relocated to a safe place by local people.

Khonumthung Chin News Group reported in June 13, 2013 that "the landslide affected the house of Pu Chung Hmung, Pu Za Thawng Cin, Pi Sung Tial, Pu Biak Nawl, Pu Thang Cung, Pu Zo Bawi, Pu Tial Hnin, Pu Kheng Tawi and the Chin Taungtan Restaurant. Two other households were also affected. The landslide was monitored by Pu Ngun San Aung, Minister of Road Communication of Chin State and Pu Tam Aung, Minister of Municipal Affairs."

These particular landslides caused heavy losses among some families in Hakha. Particularly the value of houses in Dawrthar Market blocks are 20-50 millions kyats in Burmese currency and it is a huge loss for the community. This landslide is pretty normal in this area and the people needs to be aware of the risk of constructing new building in this particular areas. If they don't think about the landslide like this they would face this similar damage in the future.

I saw many cracks in Dawrthar Market blocks while I was in the city back in 1997. I visited to Zion Baptist Church building which I have the most concern. I walked along the Hakha-Matupi Road, Cherry Road and then to Zion Church and around the No.1 High School and south of Hakha General Hospital and the back of the grave site of Rev. Arthur Carson. I saw hundreds of big and long cracks everywhere in the lower parts of the city. Many tons of top soil, dirt, rock and sands moved downward each year.

It migh be a vary weakness of solid rock underneath the surface of the slope of the Hakha city and the whole city is perhaps moving downward in a very slow process landslides. People would not see it or notice it because the move is very slowly and very minimal. But the city could be wiped out when the foundation of the city slope is collapsed in thousand of years from now. The moving of the land caused the unstable soil and it caused the damage of the structures around the cities. The damages are gradual and slow and people are not panic. But houses are slowly destroyed by the moving of the landslide.

Hakha is not the only place landlide in the Chin State there are many places. The following is a report from Chinland guardian and other sources about landslides in the Chin State.

The Chinlandguardian.com reported in October 7, 2013 that "At least 768 landslides occurred across the Chin State between 21 August and 11 September 2013 according to the Chin State government statistic."  The highest number of landslides had been reported on the Mindat-Matupi Road, followed by Hakha-Falam_Kalay Road, Tiddim-Tonzang road and Tiddim-Taingen Road.

                    Photo: Chinlandguardian.com

Landslides are mostly triggered by heavy rains and steel slope of the region. The Chin State have heavy rains normally in the monsoon and the ground is very wet and the surface of the solid rock underneath the slope is unstable and heavy. 

The steep slope is cut to construct the road. The upper part of the road is high and the soil slowly moved downward when the top soil is wet and heavy when the rain is heavy. Therefore there are many landslides especially on the card roads. Rural car roads are constructed and maintained by the local communities with their own expenses but the car roads between the cities are maintained by the government. 

Landslides damaged buildings, villages, bridges and fields each year which brought great losses to the government and the local communities every year. Hakha had experienced the heavy losses due to the landslides in the city every year because of its unstable steep slope and land. Some noticeable buildings had moved downward each year in Dawrthar Sang. The government needs to do a geological survey each year in Hakha whether the buildings are stable in some areas.