NEWS

• Kanichar Panchayat (Kannur, Kerala) has become India’s first village panchayat to adopt a living lab approach for disaster resilience.
• Trigger: 2022 landslides killed 3 people and destroyed 36 hectares of farmland.

HIGHLIGHTS

Living Lab Approach

• Originated in the Netherlands: Combines real-world settings with research, innovation, and multi-stakeholder participation (govt, experts, civic society).
• Implemented by KSDMA with the aim of making 4,600 households resilient to natural disasters.
• Key features:
  • SOPs, emergency exit routes, vulnerability mapping.
  • Hyper-localised alerts & responses.
  • Community sharing of weather data via ward-level WhatsApp groups.

Technology Interventions

• Automatic Weather Station (AWS): Provides local weather data (rainfall, wind, temp, pressure). One station installed; 12 more planned.
• Early Landslide Warning System (ELWS): Developed by IIT-Roorkee & CSIR-CBRI, using indigenous sensors + AI/ML models.

Importance of Early Warning Systems (EWS)

• Predict landslide likelihood.
• Disseminate timely alerts.
• Enable quick community response.
• India is strong in cyclone preparedness but weak in landslide forecasting.

National-Level Initiatives

• National Landslide Forecasting Centre (2024): Launched by GSI.
• ISRO’s Landslide Atlas (2023): 12.6% of India’s landmass prone to landslides (Himalayas & Western Ghats most vulnerable).
• NDMA’s LRMS (2019): Financial & technical support for site-specific mitigation.
• National Landslide Risk Management Strategy (2019): Hazard mapping, early warning, awareness, training, and slope stabilization.