The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research -National Geophysical Research Institute (CSIR-NGRI) in collaboration with German scientists at GFZ, Potsdam is in news for launching an ‘Environmental Seismology’ group. This group is aimed to develop a ‘Landslide and Flood Early Warning System’ for the Himalayan region.
About the Early Warning System
With the use of real-time monitoring through dense seismological networks, satellite data, numerical modelling, and geomorphic analysis, the Landslide and Flood Early Warning System will be functional. The network’s greatest strength lies in its ability to fully track the disaster sequence spatially and temporally using polarization and backtracking approaches. The importance of early warning systems is underscored by their role in mitigating economic losses and reducing casualties.
Landslides: An Overview
Defined as the downward movement of debris, rock, or earth, landslides are a form of mass wasting. They occur due to geological factors, topographic conditions, and human interference. There are five modes of slope movements which include falls, topples, slides, spreads, and flows. Landslides are common in regions like the entire Himalayan tract, sub-Himalayan terrains of North-east India, Western Ghats, Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu Konkan areas.
To address this, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) introduced a national program on landslide susceptibility mapping at a macro scale to cover landslide-prone areas of the country.
Floods: An Introduction
Floods, which are caused by excessive rainfall, rapid snowmelt, or storm surge from a tropical cyclone or tsunami, are a common natural disaster. Flash floods, river floods, and coastal floods are the three main types of floods. The major flood-prone regions in India include Punjab, Haryana, most of the Gangetic plains, the Brahmaputra valley, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Orissa, and southern Gujarat. Kerala and Tamil Nadu have also recently experienced floods.
To address these flood risks, India has initiated a flood-plain zoning, aimed at preventing indiscriminate development and human settlement in such areas. The National Water Policy in India also emphasizes provisions for project planning, surface- and groundwater development, irrigation, and flood control. The Central Water Commission (CWC) is accountable for flood forecasting and warning.
The Way Forward
Climate change plays a significant role in exacerbating flood and landslide hazards due to accelerated ice loss through glacier melt and flash floods caused by glacier retreat. Hence, major efforts are needed to maintain the fragile ecosystem in the multi-hazard prone Himalayan region. These hazards also have important implications for the planning of infrastructural development such as dams, power plants, and other government projects, highlighting their strategic and societal importance to the country.