Introduction

• Landslides are the rapid downward movement of rock, soil, or debris under the force of gravity.
• Around 15% of India's geographical area (0.42 million sq. km) is prone to landslides, especially in the Himalayas, Northeast, Western Ghats, and Eastern Ghats.

Major Causes of Landslides

Natural Factors

• Heavy rainfall: Saturates slopes and reduces soil stability.
• Earthquakes: Trigger slope failures in Seismic Zones IV & V.
• Fragile geology: Young Himalayan mountains and weathered rocks are highly unstable.
• Climate change: Increases frequency of extreme rainfall events.

Human-Induced Factors

• Unscientific hill cutting for roads, railways, and infrastructure.
• Deforestation leading to loss of root binding and increased soil erosion.
• Encroachment and construction on unstable slopes.
• Poor drainage management, causing water accumulation and slope failure.
• Mining and quarrying weakening hill slopes.

Challenges

• Remote and inaccessible terrain delaying rescue operations.
• Weak enforcement of land-use zoning regulations.
• Lack of real-time, localised early warning systems.
• Inadequate hazard mapping and poor public awareness.

Measures

• Prepare Landslide Hazard Zonation (LHZ) maps using GIS and LiDAR.
• Deploy AI-based early warning systems, ground sensors, and automated rain gauges.
• Adopt slope stabilization measures such as retaining walls, rock bolting, and geo-textiles.
• Improve surface and subsurface drainage systems.
• Enforce scientific hill-cutting norms, afforestation, and land-use regulations.
• Strengthen community preparedness through NDMA guidelines, awareness programmes, and local disaster response teams.

Conclusion

Building landslide-resilient infrastructure, integrating technology with scientific planning, and ensuring strict enforcement of environmental regulations are essential to reduce disaster risk and safeguard lives, infrastructure, and sustainable development.