There are always signals before a landslide occurs - cracks in the roads, sinkholes. Another signal that indicates that there is a landslide that has been in motion is the so-called "drunken forest" - trees that are not vertical, but tilted in different directions. So that people know what to watch for when they observe. Now I will talk to you specifically about this case - there is no "drunken forest" in Pamporovo. The trees were vertical, but suddenly everything goes down. But everything is always related to water - overmoistening of the terrain. We have water penetration to the slippery surface, some rocks below, under the earth masses. When water reaches these rocks, it begins to act as a lubricant, so that conditions are created for the entire slope to slide. This was announced to Lili Marinkova in the studio “FACTS“ and the show “Conversation“ by Eng. Dimitar Kumanov from the “Balkanka“ association.
“What can I say about the landslides in Pamporovo? This is a road, there have obviously been some rock slides, because there are traces of ditches with a drain below. So some measures were still followed to drain this landslide. Those who took the measures obviously considered that this was enough to not cause a problem. Of course, with landslides there is often a bad prognosis, because some rock that has stood for thousands of years can collapse without showing symptoms. A geological report can be made about the road when it was built“, the guest added.
„The risks can be established with drilling in order to take additional measures. There may also be a geological report on the construction site there. If there was a serious geological report, it should have been known that there is a possibility of a landslide there, that this area is risky and so on. Here, during the design, it should have been established that this is a risk zone and measures should have been taken. The road is extremely important for Pamporovo. The direct connection with Smolyan has been interrupted and now we hear forecasts for repairs within one or two years. This connection may not be restored for a long time. And further along the road there are such traces of collapses and sinkholes, which are also potential sites of other landslide masses“, said Dimitar Kumanov.
See more of the conversation in the VIDEO.