1 September 2020.
Introduction:
Several landslides occurring in Mussorie has led scientists to map the landslide susceptibility of Mussoorie and surrounding areas, showing that the region is highly susceptible to landslides.
Highlights:
- Scientists from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India, carried out the study in Mussoorie township in the Lesser Himalaya.
- They found that dominant part of the area falling under very high and high landslide susceptible zone lies in the area covered by highly fractured Krol limestone.
- The Landslide Susceptibility Mapping (LSM) published in the Journal of Earth System Science also showed that about 29% of the area falls in the moderate landslide susceptible zone and 56% in low to very low landslide susceptible zone.
- The researchers from WIHG carried out the study using bivariate statistical Yule Coefficient (YC) method utilizing Geographic Information System (GIS) and high-resolution satellite imageries.
- Their study shows various possible causative factors of landslides in the study area include lithology, landuse-landcover (LULC), slope, aspect, curvature, elevation, road-cut drainage, and lineament. .
- The study could help initiate a large scale landslide hazard, risk, and vulnerability assessment (HRVA) of the hilly townships in different parts of India.
About Lesser Himalayas:
There are three major ranges in the Himalayas. They are the Himadri, Himachal and the Shiwalik. The Himachal is called the lesser Himalayas. Himadri is the Greater Himalayas and the Shiwalik is the outer Himalayas.
About Landslide Susceptibility Mapping:
It is a map that identifies areas that are subject to landslides. It also says what creates the landslides in that particular area.
International Conference on Landslides Risk Reduction and resilience
The National Institute of Disaster Management organized the fist International Conference on Landslides Risk Reduction and resilience in November 2019. The main aim of the conference was to bring the stakeholders and experts together.
Landslides prone areas in India
The regions that are highly susceptible to landslides in India are Western Ghats, Easten Ghats, Nilgris, Himalayas, North Eastern hills and the Vindhyas.
National Institute of Disaster Management.
It operates under Ministry of Home Affairs and is located in New Delhi. The Institute has been assigned the responsibilities of capacity building, human resource development, documentation, research and policy advocacy in disaster management under Disaster Management Act, 2005