India needs a more robust policy to mitigate the effects of devastating landslides

The recent Landslides tragedy in the Wayanad region of Kerala has claimed over 400 lives, and 150 people are still missing. In addition, 310 hectares of farmland have been severely affected. This is not the first time Kerala has experienced such a devastating landslide. According to the 'Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India' report, the state has previously witnessed massive landslides in 2019 and 2020, which killed 72 people and 70 people, respectively. Kerala's geographical location, erratic rainfall pattern, and human activities leading to deforestation and converting forests into agricultural lands, as well as increasing construction and mining activities, have led to the increasing frequency of landslides in Kerala. Around 92% of Kerala's districts (13 out of 14 districts) are prone to landslides in varying degrees. Therefore, geo-environmentally, Kerala has so far experienced the highest number of landslides (2239), which accounts for 59.2% of total number of landslides that have occurred in different states of India between 2015 and 2022 (Ministry of Earth Sciences, Loksabha, 23rd September 2020, and 27th July 2022).

India experiences various types of natural disasters annually due to its geo-climatic conditions. However, landslides are one of the common natural phenomena experienced by different states of India. Per the Geological Survey of India (GSI), approximately 0.42 million sq. km, or 12.6% of land area, is susceptible to landslides in India. According to an article published in the journal Landslides by Martha et al. (2021), the Northwest Himalayan states have experienced the highest number of landslides (66.5%), followed by the Northeast Himalayan regions (18.8%), which is then followed by the Western Ghats (14.7%) due to abnormal rainfall pattern during monsoon and hilly geographical location. According to the Landslide Atlas of India, 147 districts have been impacted by landslides in 17 states of India. In addition, the Ministry of Mines, Geological Survey of India (GSI) report confirms that 3782 landslides have occurred in different states of India between 2015 and 2022. In the same period, based on geographical location and geospatial distribution of rainfall, other states of India, such as West Bengal, experienced the second highest landslides (376), followed by Tamil Nadu (196), Karnataka (194), Jammu & Kashmir (184), Assam (169), and Himachal Pradesh (101), and Tripura (10).

Apart from the rising frequency, landslides have also caused large-scale damage to India's public transport, communication networks, and private properties. In addition, landslides also threaten human life and livelihood conditions through damage to seeds, crops, and livestock. India lost around 22,497 human lives due to landslides from 1980 to 2019. In the same period, 8438 people were killed in Maharashtra which is the highest death toll among the states, followed by Uttar Pradesh (2124), Gujarat (1813), Madhya Pradesh (1367), Himachal Pradesh (1233), Rajasthan (933), Kerala (893) and Chhattisgarh (62) with the lowest landslide fatalities (Accidental Deaths and Suicides, Minister of Home Affairs (MHA), GoI). Overall, 80% of landslide fatalities were reported in developing countries; nearly 8% of deaths were reported in India only (Kirschbaum et al., 2010). Furthermore, India lost around 100 to 150 crores per annum at the 2011 price (Disaster Management in India, MHA, GoI, 2011). Furthermore, economic losses due to landslides accounted for 4.5 million US$ from 1970-2024, per the EM-DAT report.

It is not just India but other developing countries that are also adversely impacted by the landslides in terms of loss of human life and livelihoods and damages to public and private infrastructures. Globally, around 3.7 million square kilometers of land are prone to landslides, putting 300 million human lives at risk of death (Dilley et al., 2005). According to the EM-DAT database, around 51% of landslides have occurred in seven developing countries, such as China, Indonesia, Colombia, India, Philippines, Nepal, and Peru, affecting 12 million people. Statistics show that 88% of the total population is affected due to landslides. Furthermore, the economic losses of the seven countries due to landslides are devastating, accounting for 43% of total losses between 1970 and 2024. China has lost around 1852.7 million US$, which is the highest among the seven developing countries, followed by Peru (US$ 1010.5 million), Indonesia (US$ 129.1 million), Philippines (US$ 98.4 million), Nepal (US$ 15 million), India (US$ 4.5 million), and Colombia (US$ 2.4 million) in the same period. One crucial point is that the economic losses in developing countries are severely underreported due to inadequate mechanisms for measuring the accurate extent of damages due to landslides.

In sum, the available evidence indicates that the frequency of landslides has risen due to extreme weather events, environmental degradation from human interference, and other human activities. This has led to significant loss of human lives and livelihoods and loss of public and private properties in developing countries, including India. This issue is often neglected by policymakers, government officials, academia, and the media. The reason is that landslides are considered to be localized natural events in India and, hence, lack large-scale media attention.

In the past couple of years, the government of India has taken several measures to minimize the impact of landslides. First, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) under the Ministry of Mines implemented the National Landslide Susceptibility Mapping (NLSM) Programme to prepare landslide susceptibility mapping in different states and developed the Landslide Early Warning System (LEWS) in 2014-15. Second, using satellite data, the Department of Space, Government of India prepared "Landslide Atlas of India" with the help of National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Hyderabad, to identify vulnerable districts, frequencies of landslide occurrence, overall damage assessment due to landslide, and mapping a landslide hazard zonation in 17 states and 2 UTs in India using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) techniques in 2023.The government of India has taken several measures to minimize the impact of landslides. First, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) under the Ministry of Mines implemented the National Landslide Susceptibility Mapping (NLSM) Programme to prepare landslide susceptibility mapping in different states and developed the Landslide Early Warning System (LEWS) in India in 2014-15. Second, using satellite data, the Department of Space, Government of India prepared “Landslide Atlas of India” with the help of National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Hyderabad, to identify vulnerable districts, frequencies of landslide occurrence, overall damage assessment due to landslide, and mapping a landslide hazard zonation in 17 states and 2 UTs in India using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) techniques in 2023.

As we consider the case of the Wayanad landslides that have claimed so many human lives, the current policy measures seem inadequate to minimize the adverse effects of disasters. In such a scenario, the government has devised additional measures to mitigate the future impact of landslides. First, the Government of India has started maintaining a national disaster database at the district and Taluk levels. This database includes information on human fatalities, damage to private and public properties, and the frequency and severity of disasters. These data can help policymakers, government officials, and academicians implement suitable policies to mitigate disaster impacts. Second, it is crucial to create a massive awareness program related to the adverse effects of landslides with the help of local administration, NGOs, and civil society. A third and most important measure is to improve the early warning system for predicting landslides and for accurate rainfall prediction, particularly in landslide-prone areas, with the help of advanced technology. Fourth, strict laws should be implemented to protect ecologically sensitive areas and prevent human activities in landslide-prone areas. Finally, better coordination, regardless of political differences, between Centre, State, and Local administration is essential to mitigate the adverse impact of natural disasters in the future.

Authors:  Prof. Yashobanta Parida, Prof. Ravikiran Naik, & Prof. Joyita Roy Chowdhury, Faculty of Economics, FLAME University