Mussoorie: Old buildings in Landour bazaar pose big risk during quakes, say experts after survey

Mussoorie: Old and dilapidated multi-storey buildings in Mussoorie's Landour pose a serious threat to residents, especially as the region falls under India's highest seismic zone, with a peak ground acceleration (PGA) value of 0.6, said a team of scientists from the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee. The team is currently surveying buildings in and around the area to assess risks from potential land subsidence and other calamities. PGA refers to the maximum ground shaking during an earthquake, and a 0.6 value indicates severe shaking.
Ashish Kapoor, senior scientist at CBRI, told TOI, "Based on the latest National Building Code (NBC), a large number of buildings in Landour bazaar are at risk in case of seismic activity." He added that the exact number of vulnerable buildings would only be known after the survey is completed on Tuesday and the final report is prepared.
Kapoor also addressed concerns about land subsidence in Landour—raised in Jan 2023 after a 50m stretch of road in the bazaar began sinking and cracks appeared on nearby buildings—saying such fears were unfounded. "Subsidence has been reported from only a small part of the Landour bazaar, but it is not like Joshimath. In Landour, the subsidence has been caused due to the slope of the road wherein water from both sides is accumulating at one point, and there is a lack of drainage for the water," he said.
A concerned resident, who did not wish to be named, sought govt action in the matter and said, "There might be more than 200 buildings in Landour bazaar, and we might be looking at a major catastrophe in the event of an earthquake." The area, a popular tourist destination, is also home to several celebrities, including popular author, Ruskin Bond, and veteran actor, Victor Banerjee.
The ongoing survey is being conducted under the aegis of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) so that scientists can prepare a risk map to aid relief and rescue efforts in case of a disaster.
A similar survey was conducted by the Disaster Management and Mitigation Centre (DMMC) in 2010, in which 636 buildings across Mussoorie were identified as dangerous for habitation—most of them located in Landour.