Techies work to predict HP avalanches

Software engineers from Mumbai are working on developing a technology to predict frequent avalanches in Himachal Pradesh, focusing on bringing down the number of victims claimed each year. The team, headed by Dr Saurabh Mehta, Ph.D. in wireless communications, has created remote signal censored devices to collect anomalies of mountain escalation, intended to increase the exact predictability of avalanches and issue warnings in advance.

Dr Mehta, who is also working with a private technical institute as HOD, electronic telecommunications, has specialised in wireless networks, Rf-Id technology, ubiquitous computing, game theory, and educational technology. Talking about the system and its functioning, he said that while technology is portable and available at cheap rates, it will definitely increase predictability of avalanches.

“The portable remote-controlled sensors are developed by us basically for data collection purposes. Moreover, with its capabilities to record anomalies, compile the data and strong connectivity capabilities to report the data on time, it’s become a boon for experts who otherwise don’t have exact exhaustive data at their disposal to predict such disastrous events,” said Dr Mehta. Due to its multiple connectivity capabilities based on cloud computing, the network of devices can send minute to minute compiled reports to a central server which can also be a smart phone, handed by authorities who can access the same at any point.

Dr Mehta added that his team was working along with Himachal Pradesh on a project to set up a network of sensors in avalanche-prone areas to focus on the pre mountain peak conditions of avalanches and offer enough data to predict events so that victims can escape on time. He added that a similar system can also be put to use at landslide-prone areas of Maharashtra. “Though we haven’t worked on a landslide project as of now, we are pretty confident that the technology can also be used to predict landslides,” added Dr Mehta.

Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur, Kullu and Chamba districts, the first two being the most vulnerable, are identified as the most vulnerable places for avalanches in the state of Himachal Pradesh. The occurrence however is restricted to certain parts of the year ranging from winter months of January to March. Even after that, about 500 people have lost their lives and thousands of others have sustained injuries since 1971. At the same time, crores of rupees have gone down the drain due to damage to villages and residential set ups that have been razed totally due to the avalanche incidents.