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Frequency of landslides in India is indeed increasing.  By Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi Geologist. Malin, the village in Pune district that was flattened by a landslide few days back claiming more than 130 lives, has brought the focus back on the management –or mismanagement – of the vulnerable hills of India especially Western Ghats, Himalayas and North Eastern states. The torrential rain on July 30 near Pune perhaps would not have brought down a side of the hill had it not been weakened by quarrying, leveling and deforestation activities banned in the old weathered hills and ecologically sensitive areas. Last year it was Uttrakhand this year it is Malin and Nepal. A massive landslide in Nepal   triggered by continuous monsoon rains, caused 10 deaths, displaced 5,000 families and destroyed dozens of houses. The landslide has also blocked the Sunkoshi River and forming a lake which is threatening to cause downstream flash floods. Heavy rainfall in June last year wreaked havoc ac...

A short film on causes and impact of disaster in Uttrakhand state in India. By Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi Geologist.    This was one of the most challenging disasters till date at Kedarnath so much so that even after few days also it was really tough for a human mind to calculate the loss. It made everyone busy. Media is covering as much as they can. Indian army, air force, navy all are focusing here to save the human lives. Still death is uncountable along with other losses. Analysis differs. While the administration insists that it was a natural calamity, environmentalists hold that this was a man-made disaster waiting to happen. Though it was nature’s fury but the after effects was purely man made. It happened because geology of the area was always neglected in construction and expansion of the affected areas. Observations suggest that inadequate consideration of geology and geomorphology during the road alignment and poor, faulty engineering techniques were major factors re...