Recently, more than 40 people have died in the landslide, which hit a railway construction site in Manipur.
- Cause of the Landslide: The tragic disaster has been compounded by the debris of the landslide blocking the Ijei river, creating a significant welling up of water which could inundate low-lying areas if the “dam”-like structure is breached.
- While the administration has sought to ease the water outflow from the stored water, inclement weather has hampered the pace of the efforts.
- Landslides occur when masses of rock, earth, or debris move down a slope. Debris flows, also known as mudslides, are a common type of fast-moving landslide that tends to flow in channels
Way forward:
- As a post-facto exercise, the State government must look at whether sufficient soil and stability tests were done before choosing the site for railway construction work in the Tupul area.
- Researchers have corroborated the fact that the areas in western Manipur abutting the national highways fall under very high, high or moderate hazard zones.
- The severe landslide occurred in the Tupul area despite the government identifying susceptible areas in the State through the National Landslide Susceptibility Mapping project.
- The uncertain nature of rains, with the monsoon being more intense this year compared to predictions, has added to the problem.
- An early warning system for landslides is still being developed and refined by the Geological Survey of India and this could help reduce the scale of such disasters, once deployed across vulnerable States.
Causes:
- Landslides are caused by disturbances in the natural stability of a slope.
- They can accompany heavy rains or follow droughts, earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions
- Mudslides develop when water rapidly accumulates in the ground and results in a surge of water-saturated rock, earth, and debris.
- Areas, where wildfires or human modification of the land have destroyed vegetation on slopes, are particularly vulnerable to landslides during and after heavy rains.
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