LANDSLIDES- MANAGEMENT AND MITIGATION

MEASURES

K. Navya JyothiTAM/2013-04Dept. of Agronomy

Landslide: refers to the downward sliding of huge quantities of land mass

which occur along steep slopes of hills or mountains and may be sudden or slow

when part of a natural slope is unable to support its own weight.

MAIN FACTORS OF LANDSLIDES

I. Natural Factors

(i) Gravity

(ii) Geological factors

(iii) Heavy and prolonged rainfall

(iv) Earthquakes

(v) Forest fire

(vi) Volcanoes

(vii) Waves

 

II. Anthropogenic Factors

Human actions most notably those that affect drainage or

groundwater, can trigger landslides

(i) Inappropriate drainage system

(ii) Cutting & deep excavations on slopes for buildings, roads,

canals &mining

(iii) Change in slope/land use pattern, deforestation, agricultural

practices on steep slopes

TYPES OF LANDSLIDES

ROCK FALL

SOILCREEP

RECENT LANDSLIDESUTTARAKHAND LANDSLIDE

• June 16, 2013 –  Kedarnath, Uttarakhand 

• more than 5,700 casualties 

AFGHANISTAN LANDSLIDE

On2 May 2014 at Ab Barak, Badakhshan, Afghanistan

• 350-500 casualities• 4,000 people displaced

• 30 July 2014• Malin, Ambegaon taluka, Pune district, Maharashtra, India

• 136• 100+ missing

MALIN LANDSLIDE

• 2 August 2014• Sunkoshi, Sindhupalchok District, Nepal

• 156+casualities• Rescue efforts ongoing

SUNKOSHI LANDSLIDE

• 20 August 2014• Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan• 50+ casualities• 38+ missing, deadliest 

landslides in Japan in 42 years

HIROSHIMA LANDSLIDE

Mitigation Measures

Site-Specific Mitigation Measures 

1. Proper drainage management

2. Bio-engineering and Afforestation 

3. Early Detection 

4. Slope stability measures

The slope can be stabilized by one or a combination of 

any or all of the following methods:

• Remove the landslide soil material

• Shear keys with drainage

• Buttress

• Removal of top

• Retaining Walls

• Steel nets or wire meshes

• Soil Nails

Retaining walls

SOIL NAILS

WIRE MESHES

Landslide Hazard Mitigation Programme

• In order to prevent and mitigate the landslide risk, national

initiatives are required or strengthened to address the

following aspects:

1. Landslide Hazard Zonation(LHZ )

2. Mapping and monitoring of active landslides/vulnerable

slopes

3. Early Warning Systems

4. Awareness generation

Additional advice for specific locations:Before the Disaster

• Get a ground assessment of your property 

• Minimize home hazards

• Doors/windows stick or jam for the first time, new cracks appear ,bulging ground appears 

at base of a slope, ground slopes downward  in one direction and may begin shifting  in 

that  direction  under  your  feet;  faint  rumbling  sound  increases  in  volume  as  landslide 

nears 

• Make evacuation plans, planning at least two routes allowing for blocked and closed roads 

• Develop an emergency communication plan and ask an out-of-state  relative or  friend  to 

serve as the family contact 

• Purchase flood insurance.

•  

DURING THE DISASTER 

If indoors: 

 Stay inside and get cover under a sturdy 

piece of furniture. 

If outdoors: 

• Try to get out of path of mudflow 

•  Run  to  nearest  high  ground  in  a 

direction away from path 

•  If  rocks  and  other  debris  are 

approaching,  run  for  nearest  shelter 

such as a group of trees or a building 

• If escape is not possible, curl into a tight 

ball and protect your head. 

• Be cautious of sinkholes

AFTER THE LANDSLIDE

• Stay away from slide area 

• Check  for  injured and  trapped persons and 

give first aid where needed

•  Listen  to  battery-operated  radios  for 

emergency information 

•  Remember  flooding  may  occur  after  a 

mudflow or landslide 

•  Check  for  damaged  utility  lines  and  report 

damage to the utility company 

•  Check  the  building  foundation,  chimney, 

and surrounding land for damage 

•  Replant  damaged  ground  as  soon  as 

possible  since  erosion  caused  by  loss  of 

ground cover can lead to flash flooding.