MORE LANDSLIDES THAN ANY OTHER REGION IN THE WORLD MORE DEATHS CAUSED BY LANDSLIDES THAN ANY OTHER REGION IN THE WORLD

LANDSLIDES HIMALAYAS INDIA TECTONICALLY ACTIVE AREA MANY EARTHQUAKES MONSOON RAINFALL INTENSE HEAVY SUMMER RAINFALL AUGUST 1998, 700mm IN FIRST HALF OF AUGUST ½ ANNUAL TOTAL UTTAR PRADESH SUMMER SNOW AND ICE MELT IN HIMALAYAS LANDSLIDES HIMALAYAS INDIA CLIMATE CHANGES MAKE EXTREMES MORE LIKELY EL-NINO RELATED? GLOBAL WARMING? UTTARAKHAND AUGUST 1998, 380 DEATHS, 50,000 EVACUATED DEFORESTATION FOR COMMERCIAL, SUBISISTENCE AND FUEL NEEDS ROAD BUILDING, URBANISATION, BRICK/CONCRETE BUILDINGS, SEWAGE DISPOSAL EXTREME POVERTY = DEFORESTATION SOIL EROSION FRAGILE ECOSYSTEM EASILY DAMAGED BY INAPPROPRIATE ACTIONS/DEVELOPMENTS ECOTOURSIM INCREASES NUMBERS AND PRESSURE ON THE LAND

BEFORE 2004 MANAGEMENT OF LANDSLIDE DISASTERS WAS JUST RESPONSE SINCE 2004 HIMALAYAN LANDSLIDE POLICY DEVELOPED NOW REPONSE AND PREDICTION, PREVENTION, PREPARATION AND MITIGATION NIDM NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DISASTED MANAGEMENT SET UP

HIMALAYAN LANDSLIDE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES -BETTER FUNDING BY GOVT. -IMPROVED COMPENSATION -IMPROVED EMERGENCY PROCEDURES AND FACILITIES eg HELIPORTS GEOTECHNICAL INVESTIGATIONS BEFORE ANY NEW DEVELOPMENT LOOKING AT GEOLOGY, ECOLOGY, SOILS, HYDROLOGY PROVISION AND STOCKPILING OF EQUIPMENT AMBULANCES BULLDOZERS SHELTERS GENERATORS etc. HIMALAYAN LANDSLIDE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES -LANDSLIDE HAZARD ZONATION USING GIS -VULNERABILITY MAPPING USING AERIAL AND SATELLITE IMAGERY -ZONES OF ‘NO CONSTRUCTION’ FAMILY RELIEF KITS AND LIGHTWEIGHT HOUSING MONITORING, OBSERVATION, WARNINGS IN MONSOON SEASON COMPULSORY INSURANCE OF HOUSE CROPS AND LIVESTOCK -DISASTER MANAGEMENT PLANNING -LOCAL EXPERTS - IMPROVED TRAINING/PRE DISASTER DRILLS -DISASTER INTERVENTION TEAMS AT VILLAGE LEVEL -RAISING AWARENESS INVOLVEMENT OF RELIGIOUS ORGANISATIONS AND OTHER NGO’s REAFFORESTATION IN UNSTABLE AREAS OF BROAD LEAVED TREES FOR MORE INTERCEPTION BAN BLASTING AND DEFORESTATION FOR COMMERCIAL REASONS