DISASTER MANAGEMENT

•The Disaster is a sudden, calamitous event bringing great

damage, loss, destruction and devastation to life and property.
•damage caused by disaster is immeasurable and varies with the
geographical location, climate and the type of the earth surface.
• This influences the mental, socio-economic, political and cultural
state of the affected area. Generally, disaster has the following
effects in the concerned Areas,
1. It completely disrupts the normal day to day life
2. It negatively influences the emergency systems
3. Normal needs and processes like food, shelter, health, etc. are
affected and deteriorate depending on the intensity and severity
of the disaster.
•It may also be termed as “a serious disruption of the functioning
of society, causing widespread
•human, material or environmental losses which exceed the ability
of the affected society to cope using its own resources.”
• Types of Disaster
• Generally, disasters are of two types
– Natural and Manmade. Based
on the devastation, these are
further classified into major/minor
natural disaster and major/minor
manmade disasters. Some of the
disasters are listed below.
 NATURAL DISASTER
• Major natural disasters:
• • Flood
• • Cyclone
• • Drought
• • Earthquake
• Minor natural disasters:
• • Cold wave
• • Thunderstorms
• • Heat waves
• • Mud slides
• • Storm
 MANMADE DISASTER
• Major manmade disaster:
• • Setting of fires
• • Epidemic
• • Deforestation
• • Pollution due to prawn cultivation
• • Chemical pollution.
• • Wars
• Minor manmade disaster:
• • Road / train accidents, riots
• • Food poisoning
• • Industrial disaster/ crisis
• • Environmental pollution
 DISASTER MANAGEMENT
• Disaster Management
• There are no standardized rules defining the
different phases of the disaster management
cycle.
• Different agencies use different cycles
depending upon their objectives. However,
while approaches
• vary, it is agreed that disaster management
activities should be carried out in a cycle. The
following
• figures illustrates the phases of the disaster
management cycle, which are described as
follows:
DISASTER MANAGEMENT CYCLE
 Disaster Warning

• Disaster Warning
• Disaster Reduction identifies several key parties that play
major roles in the disaster management process, especially in
disaster warning.
• Communities,
• Local governments
• National governments
• Regional institutions and organizations
• International bodies
• Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
• The private sector
• The media
• The scientific community
 Channels Used for Disaster Warning
• Radio and Television
• Telephone (Fixed and Mobile)
• Short Message Service
• Satellite Radio
• Internet/Email
• GIS and Remote Sensing in
Disaster Management
 Disaster management in India
• The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA),
headed by the Prime Minister of India, is the Apex Body
for Disaster Management in India. The setting up of the NDMA
and the creation of an enabling environment for institutional
mechanisms at the State and District levels is mandated by
the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

• Evolution of NDMA

• Emergence of an organization is always an evolutionary

process. Establishment of NDMA has also gone through the
same processes. Towards this aim, the Government of India
(GOI), in recognition of the importance of Disaster
Management as a national priority, has set up a High-Powered
Committee (HPC) in August 1999 and also a nation committee
after the 2001 Gujarat earthquake, for making
recommendations on the preparation of Disaster Management
plans and suggestion effective
 Floods
• A flood is an expanse of water submerging
land.
• A flood is caused by excess water in a
location, usually due to rain from a storm or
thunderstorm or the rapid melting of snow.
• A flood happens when an area of land, usually
low-lying, is covered with water. The worst
floods usually occur when a river overflows its
banks. The flood is constituted not only of the
overflowing water but also of all other waters
that are unable to drain off into water
channels.
 Causes of floods
• 1) When snow on a mountain melts or when a
river or a lake of some sort overflows
• 2) Flooding from water displacement, such as in a
landslide,
• 3) The failure of a dam,
• 4) An earthquake induced tsunami,
• 5) A hurricane’s storm surge or melt water from
volcanic activity.
• 6) Flooding of Coastal areas by high tides or by
tsunami waves caused by undersea earthquakes.
• 7) A flood that rises and falls rapidly with little or
no advance warning is called a flash flood. Flash
• floods usually result from intense rainfall over a
relatively small area.
 Elements at risk
• 1) Buildings built of earth (mud),weak
foundation and water soluble
material.
• 2) Basement of buildings.
• 3) Utilities such as sewerage, water
supply.
• 4) Agricultural equipment and crops,
vehicles, fishing boats etc.
 Effects of flood

1) Physical damage- structures such as buildings

get damaged due to flood water. Landslides
2) can also take place. Top soil gets washed away
3) Causalities - people and livestock die due to
drowning. It can also lead to epidemics and
diseases.
4) Water supplies- Contamination of water. Clean
drinking water becomes scarce.
5) Crops and food supplies- shortage of food
crops can be caused due to loss of entire
harvest.
 Flood management

• Flood management involves the following activities:

• 1) Mapping- of the flood prone area.
• 2) Land use control- no major development
should be permitted in the areas subjected to
• flooding.
• 3) Construction of engineered structures-
strong structures to withstand flood forces.
• Moreover the buildings should be constructed on an
elevated area and if necessary
• should be build on stits.
• 4) Flood control- it aims to reduce flood
damage. It includes:
• a) Flood reduction
• b) Flood diversion
• c) Flood proofing
 Flood management

• For example,
• o London is protected from flooding by a huge
mechanical barrier across the river
• Thames, which is raised when the water level reaches a
certain point.
• Notable floods
• o Jakarta on January 2007 till now is having a 1.5 M
flood. whole city is affected. 80 people
• killed.
• o The floods in peninsular Malaysia, Sabha and
Sumithra in December 2006 and January 2007
• is considered to be the worst in 100 years, resulting in
evaluation of over 100,000 people in
• the worst-hit state of Johor at its peak.
• o Ethiopia saw one of its worst floods in August 2006.
Floods That Devastated India
 Mumbai, July 2005
• While Mumbai witnesses heavy rains every year, July 2005 will
remain etched in the city’s collective memory.
• On July 26, 2005, Mumbai received about 944 mm rain in just 24
hours: a 100-year record. Over 1,000 people lost their lives in the
deluge, while approximately 14,000 homes were destroyed. The
‘city that never sleeps’ was effectively paralysed.
• The local trains stopped operations overnight, roads turned into
rivers, and the city had to bear a direct loss of Rs 450 crore. The
city's proximity to the sea, combined with poor water management
by the authorities, reportedly led the situation to worsen as
waterlogged roads turned into rivers and power supply was severely
affected. However, good samaritans and charitable organisations
poured out on to the streets with food, supplies and other
assistance, bringing back residents’ faith in that much-abused term,
the ‘spirit of Mumbai’, and helping the situation from spinning
further out of control.
 Assam, July 2012

• In July 2012, heavy rains caused floods in Assam and it was one of the
worst disasters that the state had seen in over a decade.
• The monsoon rains started earlier and heavier than the previous year.
The state got about 528mm rain, which was 28% more than its average
annual rainfall.
• Because of the flooding, there were 43 breaches reported in the
Brahmaputra banks and 14 breaches on the banks of its tributaries.
Many of the important rail links connecting Assam and the nearby
states were also affected.
• Following heavy rain, the mighty Brahmaputra and many of its
tributaries breached their banks, destroying thousands of homes,
bridges, roads, and even power lines. Over 124 people, including 70
children, died in the floods and about 2.2 million people were affected.
• The floods also inundated large parts of the Kaziranga National Park and
affected its resident animals severely. It is estimated that over
560 animals died, including 14 rhinos.
 Uttarakhand, June 2013
• One of the worst floods in India’s recent history occurred in
Uttarakhand in June 2013. Heavy rain due to a cloudburst led to
sudden flash floods and landslides in the northern part of Uttarakhand.
• June is a rather busy tourist season for the state, as millions of Hindu
pilgrims come here to pay their respects at the ancient temples. Since
the rains occurred a whole month before the monsoon season, they
caught everyone by surprise. The affected regions in Uttarakhand
included Hemkund, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Valley of Flowers,
Roopkund, and Rudraprayag
• While the military was able to evacuate more than 100,000 people
trapped in landslides, an estimated 4,094 were killed and over 5,700
were missing (and eventually presumed dead).
• The Uttarakhand floods are considered one of the worst natural
calamities in India since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
 Jammu and Kashmir, September 2014
• In 2014, massive floods hit Jammu and Kashmir and some areas
of Pakistan. The situation was so bad back in 2014, that there
were reports of bodies floating around the streets of Srinagar.
• The disaster, which was caused by heavy rains, lasted for eight
days. Jammu and Kashmir usually receives around 100mm of
rain in September, but in the first four days of the month in
2014, the state had already received 400mm of rain, which led
to the floods.
• From farms and roads to communication infrastructure, and
homes to hospitals, there was little the floods did not damage.
The economic value of the damage was estimated to be
between Rs 5000 crore and Rs 6000 crore.
 Chennai - November 2015
• The 2015 floods in Chennai ended up being one of the world’s most
expensive natural disasters in that year, causing India over
50,000 crore rupees in losses.
• On November 29, a low-pressure area intensified into a depression,
leading to huge amounts of rain in the coastal region of Tamil Nadu
and Andhra Pradesh. Chennai recorded 266mm in the first 24 hours,
and 490mm the next day, which eventually led to massive flooding.
• By the afternoon of December 1, 60% of the city’s power supply was
disconnected, leaving many hospitals nonfunctional and 40% of the
city’s districts had submerged.
• While the rescue and relief efforts started within a day of flooding
and a lot of locals took initiative to help others, the damage was
already done. More than 500 people died, over 50,000 homes were
structurally damaged, and over 1.8 million people were displaced.
 Kerala, August 2018

• The state of Kerala, famous for its beautiful monsoon scenery,

faced the worst flooding episode it had seen in a century, after a
spell of particularly heavy rains.
• According to IMD data, the state received 2346.6 mm of rainfall
from June 1, 2018 to August 19, 2018 in contrast to the
expected 1649.5 mm. This heavy rainfall, combined with alleged
delays on the authorities’ part in opening dam floodgates,
swamped several districts of Kerala and triggered landslides in
Wayanad and Idukki. Experts later labelled it an avoidable, man-
made disaster brought about by indiscriminate deforestation,
quarrying and sand mining.
• With more than 400 reported deaths, lakhs displaced from their
homes and estimated economic losses of Rs.30,000 crore, the
floods left an incredible amount of damage in their wake.
 CYCLONE
• The name cyclone was first coined by Captain Henry
Piddington, Chairman of Marine Court, Calcutta in 1848.
• It is derived from Greek word means coil of a snake.
• Cyclone is an meteorological phenomena in which an
area of low pressure characterized by inward spiraling
winds that rotate counter clockwise in the northern
hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere
of the earth.
• Near the places of their origin they are only 80 Km in
diameter, but well developed cyclones have their
diameter ranging from 300 to 1500 km. They move at
faster rate over the oceans than over the land because
the irregularities of the land surface retard their speed.
The six main types of cyclones are polar cyclone, polar
low, extra tropical, subtropical, tropical and mesoscale.
 A cyclone is a large storm system of winds that rotate around a low-pressure
center. Cyclones are characterized by inward-spiraling winds that move in a circle.

How do cyclones form?

Cyclones form over warm ocean waters
They are caused by atmospheric disturbances
The Coriolis effect causes the winds to circulate in opposite directions in the Northern and
Southern Hemispheres
Coriolis effect

an effect whereby a mass moving in a rotating system experiences a force (the Coriolis
force ) acting perpendicular to the direction of motion and to the axis of rotation. On the
earth, the effect tends to deflect moving objects to the right in the northern hemisphere
and to the left in the southern and is important in the formation of cyclonic weather
systems.

Because the Earth rotates on its axis, circulating air is deflected toward the right in the
Northern Hemisphere and toward the left in the Southern Hemisphere. This deflection is
called the Coriolis effect.
Tropical regions
Direct sunlight- increase the temperature
Low pressure region in ocean--Sunlight on
water
VAPOURS-HOT AIR-move upward-left molecules behind
Air move from high pressure to low pressure.
WIND SHOULD MOVE IN straight DIRECTION.. BUT IT WILL NOT DUE TO CORIOLIS EFFECT
High temperature pressure low in tropical region….but on north and south polar zones ,,
pressure is high…..air move from high to low pressure zones
Earth rotates …air also move tilted…. Air come with moisture.
When tilted air get this low pressure area it creates cyclone
Latent heat
Latent heat make heated center– more temperature-low pressure—more air—
more moisture—more vapors---heat release---more drop in pressure--- make a
cycle
Need moist air---that’s available in oceans
What are the effects of cyclones?
• Cyclones can cause heavy rain, strong winds, and damage to
property and infrastructure
• They can also cause loss of life
What are different types of cyclones?
• Tropical cyclones: Warm-core cyclones that form over warm
oceans
• Extra tropical cyclones: Also known as temperate cyclones
• Subtropical cyclones: Warm-core cyclones
What are cyclones called by other names?
• Hurricanes are tropical cyclones that form near North
America and the Caribbean
• Typhoons are tropical cyclones that form near the Philippines,
Japan, and China
• Extratropical cyclones
• Also known as mid-latitude cyclones, these cyclones form in
the middle latitudes.
• They have weaker winds than tropical cyclones, but they have
sharp temperature gradients.
• The most common type of extratropical cyclone is a
nor'easter, which forms over the ocean and impacts the east
coast of the United States.
• Polar cyclones
• Also known as polar vortexes, circumpolar vortexes, or polar
lows, these cyclones form in the polar regions of Earth.
• They are areas of low pressure that contain extremely cold air.
• They extend high into the atmosphere and are strongest
during the winter months.
• There are several types of cyclones, including tropical
cyclones, extratropical cyclones, and polar cyclones.
• Tropical cyclones
• Also known as hurricanes or typhoons, these are
intense storms that form over warm tropical oceans.
• They have low atmospheric pressure, heavy rain, and
strong winds.
• They are characterized by a spiral arrangement of
thunderstorms.
• The name of a tropical cyclone depends on its
location and strength. For example, a hurricane forms
in the Atlantic Ocean, while a typhoon forms in the
northwestern Pacific Ocean.
Deadliest cyclones that hit India in past
• Cyclones are powerful storms that can cause
immense destruction, and India has faced
many of these natural disasters over the years.
• With a long coastline along the Indian Ocean,
the country is particularly at risk.
• Cyclones bring heavy rain, strong winds, and
flooding, often leading to severe loss of life
and significant damage to homes and even
causing economic damage.
 Cyclone Ockhi

• Ockhi in 2017 hit Tamil Nadu and

Kerala, killing more than 30
people, who were mainly
fishermen.
• The cyclone brought in more
rainfall than needed, resulting in
major destruction of the boats
and houses.
 Cyclone Nisha

• Heavy rains caused by Nisha in 2008 flooded

some regions in Tamil Nadu severely, taking 200
lives and causing tremendous losses of crops,
turning into an economic disaster for several
farmers.
• Transportation and provisions of certain services
were blocked during and after many days of this
horrifying calamity. This massive cyclone is also
known to have impacted regions of Sri Lanka.
 Cyclone Bhola
• Cyclone Bhola in 1970 is
known to be the deadliest
cyclone in history.
• It hit East Pakistan- - now
Bangladesh, and parts of
India, killing a horrifying
amount of 300,000 to
500,000 people as its
devastating storms and
flooding carried away
through the low-lying
regions.
 Cyclone Amphan
• Amphan was one of the strongest storms
in recent times, occurring in 2020.
• It hit West Bengal and caused around
100 deaths, completely destroying areas
like Kolkata.
• The cyclone caused massive destruction-
- destroying homes, uprooting trees, and
flooding many regions, leading to
massive agricultural losses.
• The reconstruction took place very
slowly, and most people faced significant
food shortages and employment loss for
months after the storm.
Cyclone Tauktae

• Cyclone Tauktae occurred in 2021.

• It is known to be a significantly strong cyclone that
particularly hit Gujarat and Maharashtra.
• The heavy rains and massive winds killed over 150
people and damaged houses, roads, and power
supplies. The cyclone also affected thousands of
families making most of them to leave their
homes and shift to the relief camps for shelter.
 Cyclone Phailin

• Cyclone Phailin hit Odisha in 2013 and was one of

the strongest cyclones to impact the state.
• This massive disaster caused over 40 deaths, but
immediate evacuation made sure that the overall
effect was not as high as initially predicted.
• The destruction of the cyclone also significantly
affected the infrastructure, the roads, and the
communication systems.
 Cyclone Hudhud

• Hudhud, occurring in 2014 hit the Andhra

Pradesh coast, specifically in Visakhapatnam.
It killed nearly 100 people and caused severe
damage to houses and infrastructure.
Hundreds of families lost their homes, and all
crops over thousands of acres were destroyed.
 Cyclone Vardah

• Cyclone Vaedah occurred in 2016. Vardah hit

Tamil Nadu and particularly in the city of
Chennai. The storm manifested strong winds,
which caused approximately 25 deaths, as
well as massive other damages including trees
and power lines. People suffered power cuts
for several days, affecting their daily routine.
 Cyclone Fani

• Fani, occurring in 2019 caused extreme winds,

and heavy rain, killing over 80 people in Odisha.
• Several buildings, roads, and crops were
destroyed completely. This caused the loss of
homes and financial stability of massive
amounts of people.
• Immediate evacuation saved many people from
this disaster.
• Cyclone Biparjoy
• Cyclone Biparjoy was a significantly strong
storm in the Arabian Sea in June 2023. It hit
India and Pakistan, causing heavy rain and
flooding. Sadly, several people died, and many
were forced to leave their homes. The storm
raised concerns about stronger storms in the
future.
 EARTHQUAKE
• Earthquake is those movements of the earth crust
which make the ground vibrate and shake
backward and forward. The shaking of earth crust
proceeds in the form of waves from the centre of
disturbance.
• Longitudinal waves, transverse waves and surface
waves are the 3 types of waves. Earthquake may
be caused by two types of forces.
• 1) Tectonic occurrence: tectonic occurrence like
faulting, breaking of rocks, raising or sinking of
layers of the earth, folding of the strata or vapour
seeking to escape from the earth.
• 2) volcanic activity: violent eruptions and intrusion
of igneous magma from below the earth.
 Types of earthquake:
• Volcanic earthquake: are associated
with the flow of hot magma interrupting
volcanoes. These happen to be localized
and seldom cause any extensive damage.
• Tectonic earthquake: are those which
result from structural and injustments inside
the earth.
• Plutonic earthquake: are those which
have their origin at greater depths. They
may also be generated in the same manner
as the tectonic earthquake far below the
surface of the earth.
 Effects of earthquake:
• Collapse of manmade structure like
building, bridges, towers etc.
• • Roads get affected due to subsidence
of the ground and enormous fissures
appear on land.
• • Extensive landslides in hilly regions
and rocky debris come down to block
the path of streams.
• • When earthquake are accompanied by
volcanic activity, the destruction is very
enormous.
 Mitigation measures:

• • Damage to structure can be avoided by

prohibiting restriction on such earthquake
prone zones.
• • Power lines and pipelines can be built with
extra slack where they cross such earthquake
prone zones.
• • New buildings should be constructed with
proper earthquake resistant measures. They
require secure anchoring and tight bonding of
foundations, frame, outer and inner walls,
floors and roofs.
• • Vulnerable older building located in high risk
areas might be rebuilt to withstand anticipated
earth quake.
• Hypocenter: The location below the earth’s
surface where an earthquake starts is called
Hypocenter
• Epicenter: The Location directly above it on
the earth’s surface is called the epicentre.
• Ritcher Scale: Measures the magnitude of the
Earthquake
• Mercalli Scale: Measures the Earthquake
intensity.
 Earthquakes in India

• Earthquakes in India mainly occur when the Indian tectonic plate collides with the
Eurasian plate. The peninsular region of India is usually stable, but sometimes
earthquakes occur on the edges of smaller plates. For example, the 1967 Koyna
earthquake and the 1993 Latur earthquake happened in these areas.

• India is divided into four seismic zones (II, III, IV, V) based on the level of
seismicity:

• Zone II: Low seismicity

• Zone III: Moderate seismicity
• Zone IV: High seismicity
• Zone V: Very high seismicity (includes areas like the Himalayan region,
northeastern states, Kutch, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands)
• Zones V and IV cover the entire Himalayan region, North-East India, Western and
Northern Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and parts of Gujarat.

• Most of the peninsular region is in a low-risk zone,

• while the northern lowlands and western coastal areas are in a moderate-hazard
zone.
Types of Indian Earthquakes
In India, earthquakes can be categorized based on their origins and the tectonic settings.
• 5.3-Magnitude Earthquake in Telangana
• According to the National Centre for Seismology, A 5.3-
magnitude earthquake struck Telangana’s Mulugu district,
originating 40 km below the ground in the Eturnagaram forest
area. The earthquake occurred at 7:27 AM, prompting panic
among residents. Read this article below to know all about
Earthquakes in India.

• It is the 2nd-largest earthquake in the region in the last 55

years.
• Seismological Analysis: The epicentre of the earthquake lies
within the Godavari Fault System.
• It is a major fault line in the Krishna-Godavari basin in Andhra
Pradesh.
• This basin contains major hydrocarbon fields.
 1. Tectonic Earthquakes

• These are the most common types of earthquakes in India,

caused by the movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates.
They can be divided into:

• Interplate Earthquakes: Happen at the boundaries

between two tectonic plates. For example, the Himalayan
region has interplate earthquakes because the Indian and
Eurasian plates collide there.
• Intraplate Earthquakes: Happen within a tectonic plate not
at its boundary. The 1993 Latur earthquake in Maharashtra
is an example
• 2. Volcanic Earthquakes
• A special type of earthquake called a volcanic earthquake happens
only in areas with active volcanoes. These earthquakes occur when
molten rock (magma) is injected into or withdrawn from solid rock
causing stress changes. This can make the ground sink or crack.
These earthquakes can also happen when rock moves to fill spaces
left by magma. Volcanic earthquakes do not mean the volcano will
erupt they can happen at any time.

• 3. Induced Earthquakes
• These are caused by human activities such as mining, reservoir-
induced seismicity (due to the filling of large dams), geothermal
energy extraction, and oil extraction. Examples include:

• Reservoir-Induced Seismicity: The Koyna earthquake (1967) in

Maharashtra is believed to have been induced by the filling of the
Koyna dam reservoir.
• 4. Collapse Earthquakes
• These happen when underground caves or
mines collapse. They are usually small and
only affect a local area.

• 5. Explosion Earthquakes
• These are caused by explosions, such as
nuclear tests or large chemical explosions. For
example, nuclear tests conducted in Pokhran,
Rajasthan, generated minor seismic activity.
• Earthquake Zones in India
• Complete List of All Zones of Earthquakes in India:

• The zones are identified using the Modified Mercalli

(MM) intensity, which measures how earthquakes affect
areas. After the Killari earthquake in Maharashtra in
1993 the seismic map was updated. The low danger zone
called Seismic Zone I was combined with Seismic Zone II.
So Zone I is no longer shown on the map.

• Zone II
• It is a low-intensity area, covering 40.93% of the
country’s land. This includes the Karnataka Plateau and
the peninsula region.
• Zone III
• This region has moderate intensity and covers 30.79% of the country’s
area. It includes Kerala, Goa, and the Lakshadweep Islands, along with
parts of Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand,
Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu.

• Zone IV
• This is called a high-intensity zone. It covers 17.49% of the country’s
land. It includes the rest of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh,
Delhi, Sikkim, northern parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, the
western coast of Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.

• Zone V
• This is an extremely severe zone. It covers 10.79% of the country’s
land. It Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat,
and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
 Land Slides and Mitigation
Measures
• In the recent years, intensive construction activity and the
destabilizing forces of nature have aggravated the land Slide
problem. Landslides refer to the downward sliding of huge
quantities of land masses. Sliding occurs along steep slopes
of hills of mountains.
• The rate of movement of such a mass is never constant.
Landslides occur as a result of changes on a slope, sudden or
gradual, either in its composition, structure, hydrology or
vegetation. The changes can be due to geology, climate,
weathering, changing land use and earthquakes.
• The causes of landslides may be grouped into two types:
• • Inherent or internal causes.
• • Immediate causes.
• Landslide is a natural phenomenon which is caused majorly due to heavy
rains, floods, earthquakes, construction etc.
 Effect of landslides:
• Landslides are not only destructive to the
man but also to the structures. One of the
most disastrous landslides occurred in
Switzerland in 1806, when great masses
of loose rock and soil suddenly slide down
into the valley form the mountainside. It
resulted in killing of 800 persons. Initially
the Vajont Dam, was the highest arch
failed due to landslide on October 9,
1963, when a rock mass of about 600
million tons slide down into the lake.
• A significant reduction in hazards caused by landslides can be
achieved by prevention of
• The exposure of population and facilitates by physically
controlling the landslides.
• Development programs that involve modification of the
topography, exploitation of
• natural resources and change in the balance load on the ground
should not be
• permitted.
• Some critical measures that could be undertaken to prevent
further landslides are
• drainage measures, erosion control measures such bamboo
check-dams, terracing, jute
• A significant reduction in hazards caused by landslides can be
achieved by prevention of
• coir netting and rock control measures
such as grass plantation, vegetated dry
• masonry walls, retaining walls and, most
importantly, preventing deforestation and
• improving forestation.
• Disasters cannot be totally prevented.
However, early warning systems, careful
planning
• and preparedness on part of the
vulnerable community would help in
minimizing the
• loss of life and property due to these
worst landslides in India
 Guwahati landslide, Assam, 1948
• Guwahati landslide, Assam: The landslide
took place on September 18, 1948 due to
heavy rains. Over 500 people died in the
landslide and according to the reports, the
landslide buried an entire village
Darjeeling landslide, West Bengal
• The landslide happened around October 4,
1968. The landslide was triggered by floods
and the 60 km long highway was cut in 91
parts. As per reports, thousands of people
died in the landslide
 Malpa landslide, Uttarakhand: 1998
• Consecutives landslides occurred between
August 11 and August 17 in 1998 in the village
of Malpa where over 380 people died as the
entire village washed away in the landslide.
The landslide is one of the worst landslides in
India
Mumbai landslide, Maharashtra:2000
• The landslide was caused in July 2000. The
landslide took place in the suburbs of Mumbai
due heavy rains which was followed by land
erosion. As per reports around 67 people died
and the local trains were also stricken
 Amboori landslide, Kerala: 2001
• The landslide was known as the worst
landslide in Kerala's history. The landslide
occurred on November 9, 2001 due to heavy
rains and around 40 people died in the
incident
 Kedarnath landslide, Uttarakhand: 2013

• The landslide took place on June 16, 2013 and

was the result of Uttarakhand floods. Over
5700 were reported dead and over 4,200
villages had been affected by the floods and
post-floods landslide
 Malin landslide, Maharashtra: 2014
• The landslide occurred on July 30, 2014, in a
village in Malin. The landslide occurred due to
heavy rainfall and around 151 people died and
100 people went missing after the disaster.
• On 30 July 2024, heavy rainfall triggered
landslides in the Wayanad district of Kerala,
India.
• which reports 570 mm of rainfall in the two days
leading up to the tragedy.
• The area affected, including the villages of
Punjirimattom, Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala,
Meppadi and Kunhome, consists of tea farms built on
steep slopes.
• Many of the people killed were worked in the farms,
or were members of their families.
The left (false colour optical) image shows the site prior to the 30
July 2024 event, whilst the image on the right provides radar data
that shows the area after the Wayanad landslides.
• The location of the headscarp is [11.46544, 76.13576]. The images before the 30 July
2024 shows the presence of a long runout, channelised flow, which appears to have
occurred in 2020. The landslide did not quite reach Mundakkai. As the ISRO imagery
shows, the initial failure for the 30 July 2024 event occurred on the same slopes, but
on a much larger scale, creating a series of channelised debris flows that ploughed
through the villages.
• The ISRO analysis suggests that the landslide covers an area of 86,000 m 2, with a
runout of 8 km.
• Drone image of the aftermath of the 30 July
2024 landslides in Wayanad, India