Manipal: Land at Manchikere area near Manipal has developed a crack and become a cause of concern to the people of Manipal. The crack is 8 inches wide and 200 M long. Locals inform that a similar incident had happened in July 2014. The ground developed a crack and water has been flowing from it since the last five years.
“There might be some caves in these areas. There were rumors among people about the existence of a cave in Manchikere. The cave was later closed by some localities. The crack is now growing and proves to be dangerous. The area is a hilly. These cracks might be indications of a huge landslide that may happen in near future, similar to what happened in Kodagu recently,” explains a local.
After the incident in July 2014, officials had visited the spot and submitted a report to the district administration which states that due to the increase of temperature under the land, these types of cracks did appear in many places of Udupi district. However, the width of the crack is increasing and looks dangerous.
House, well damaged
The wall of a house, the wall around a well and the road leading to the colony here has also developed a crack. The crack is 8 inches wide and there is fear that it may further widen.
“The clay beneath the ground gets washed away due to the flow of groundwater. Such an incident could cause a collapse of land. This year, groundwater level is less and there is severe heat. Due to this reason, such cracks have been observed at several locations at the beginning of monsoon,” explained
Prof Udayashanker, Geologist, MIT, Manipal
