FIND OUT IF THE RESIDENCE IN WHICH YOU ARE RESIDING IN, IS ON A LANDSLIDE PRONE AREA

 From time to time several committees are set up by government organizations or other organizations and they after their thorough study, research and analysis, the create a report on the subject which here would be to know if a certain residential place or any particular place in a particular area is in a landslide prone area.

You can go through such reports to find out if your place is in a landslide prone area. Such reports also at times warn and advise about implementing recommended solution and taking certain remedial or preventive measures as the case may be.

However, a common man may not be aware about from where he or she or it may access such committee reports and what should this common look into and where should these look into these committee reports to find the information these people seek or search.   

It would be better if you attempt to find your answers through all the following ten ways that we describe one by one, each following paragraph detailing about one particular way to find about required information if your place or residence is a landslide prone area.

Such reports study the topography of a place, give their responses regarding the topography of the particular place, also including detailed maps of the particular area and various other information that indicates towards the degree of the steepness of slopes. Such reports often have warned that the residences or places near a steeper sloped area is more probable and vulnerable to face a landslide, having been identified as a landslide prone area.   

Often such reports also after careful study and analysis detail out about the quality of soil in a particular area. They consider if soil of an area is loose or clay rich, how often it is actually waterlogged and the duration of such waterlogging. After great examinations regarding these they detail out a report on the quality of soil composition. Such reports do warn that particular places due to their loose or clay rich soil coupled with their waterlogging make this particular place highly prone to landslides in future.   

These reports also mention about the number and kinds of landslides that have actually happened in a particular place or in any of its nearby places in recent and distant past. Analysis of such previously happened landslides helps them forecast about futuristic happening of varying degree of dangerous landslides in the particular area.   

People or teams writing such reports also make efforts to find out if there had been poor water drainage systems in a particular area and the duration for which such drainage problems have remained either temporarily or permanently. They also try to find out if existent poor drainage system in an area is causing or has already caused a higher degree of water saturation in soil of that particular area. Analyst then estimate if such higher degree water saturation in soil of a particular area can actually cause a landslide and of what degree landslide it can cause in future.  

After a great amount of time consuming prolonged hard work, the analysts look for various possible indications of ground movement in a particular area. At some place they might have found certain visible cracks as a sign of the ground movement, at other places they might have found a tilted tree and yet at another place they might have found a sinking foundation and at various places they might find several such indications altogether, though as differing degrees of alarming signals. There might be many more such indications the analysts might look for. Considering these alarming signals as a highly probable or vulnerable sign for the ground instability prompts the analysts to mention and give a detailed information regarding these in their report along with suitable remedial measures, preventive actions and also related warnings and forecasts for near future times.   

For a comprehensive study such analysts also try to evaluate if the vegetation in a particular area is losing and also study about the rate of such loss. If they come to a finding that the vegetation cover is rapidly getting cleared or if the vegetation cover has actually already been cleared essentially at a rapid rate or at any other rate over the recent previous years or if the particular area has only sparse vegetation cover then it follows that as there are lesser or no herbs, shrubs and trees in that area, so there will be comparative less or no in depth reaching roots that could have anchored the soil. This will certainly make such a particular place highly prone to landslides. So, the analysing team details about it in their report.    

Committee report writers try to first find out if due to earth movement or seismic activities in a particular area the possibility of landslides is high or that landslides in such areas are more common, when an area of residence or any other place is actually nearing any such geological fault lines. Based on these findings then they write a committee report including suitable warnings and recommendations.    

Analysts often also analyse available meteorological data and information relating to a particular place for all times --- present times, recent past and distant past. On basis of such information and data they try to find out if a place has actually faced higher rainfall as compared to earlier times and how much more it really is than earlier times. They do so because more rainfall means more of the soil than before would be eroded through soil erosion and also there would be more of soil saturation, study of changed rainfall patterns, together these will pave way for making the particular place more vulnerable to face more landslides in numbers and these may become more dangerous with time. Based on such analysis analysts include relevant information and recommendations to be shared in their report.   

Report writers also consider degree of infrastructural development in a particular area that could destabilize the land of that area and make it more vulnerable to the happenings of more in numbers and of a higher degree than ever before devastating landslides in that particular area. Residential or Official Constructions, Road or Bridge Constructions, Mining Activities, Dumping of Waste and Debris on river beds might cause and also increase the number and the kinds of devastating landslides in a particular area.  

From time to time based on several surveys, researches, studies, findings and reports the Government bodies have labelled certain areas as a landslide prone area, conveying that such mentioned particular areas are highly landslide prone. One needs to check out from such reports if their residential place or any other place they wish to know about is not the one of those which are listed as a designated hazard zone which is highly landslide prone. 

At your personal level do make a trial to access and go through such reports to look for the key indicators for a place to be landslide prone. This is one of the initial steps one needs to take up to ensure the timely safety of life and property.  

Share this article with others residing in probable landslide prone areas in India.