Landslides are the third most dangerous natural disaster in terms of deaths and urgent intervention is needed to prevent loss of life and infrastructure in the coming years. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) data highlighted that Rudraprayag and Tehri Garhwal are most vulnerable to landslides.
According to satellite data collected over the last two decades, two districts of Uttarakhand face the highest risk of landslides. Data collected by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) highlighted that Rudraprayag and Tehri Garhwal are most vulnerable to landslides, having seen the highest number of landslides in the last 20 years.
The results, compiled by the Hyderabad-based ISRO facility’s National Center for Remote Sensing, were published in the Landslide Atlas of India. The agency used data from ISRO satellites to create a database of over 80,000 landslides in the country between 1998 and 2022. The team then used this data to rank 147 landslide-prone districts across 17 states and two union territories.
Rudraprayag and Tehri Garhwal have the “highest exposure to landslide risk in the country” due to the presence of pilgrimage routes and tourist spots. The district has the Kedarnath Temple and other religious places such as Tungnath Temple and Madhyamaheshwar Temple.
The city of Rudraprayag is also a holy city due to the confluence of the rivers. However, the district has 32 chronic landslide zones, a large number of which are located along or around the NH-107 that leads to the city.
While the Himalayan region is at high risk of landslides, other regions of the country are also at high risk. Malappuram, Thrissur, Palakkad and Kozhikode in Kerala, Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir and South and East Sikkim are the other worst affected districts in the country.
According to the report, India is among the four countries most prone to landslides. About 13 percent of the country’s total land area is prone to landslides. Deforestation and climate change have worsened the situation, as forests help prevent and reduce moderate landslides.
On the other hand, extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall due to climate change increase soil erosion and can directly cause landslides. Landslides are the third most dangerous natural disaster in terms of deaths and urgent intervention is needed to prevent loss of life and infrastructure in the coming years.
(Edited by: Sudarshan Mani)
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