Post landslide
Investigation of Shallow Landslide: A case study from the Southern Western Ghats,
India
Sarun S., Vineetha P., Reghunath Rajesh, Sheela A.M. and Anil Kumar R.
Disaster Advances; Vol. 14(7); 52-59;
doi: https://doi.org/10.25303/147da5221; (2021)
Abstract
Many mountainous regions in the tropics witnessed extreme orographic rainfall episodes
in the recent past. The portions of the Western Ghats that fall on the Kerala state
also experienced extreme climatic conditions in floods and landslides in 2018 and
2019. More than a thousand small and large landslides occurred during that period
in the State's Western Ghats regions. The landslide at Kavalapara in the Malappuram
district in 2019 is at the top in the state regarding the causalities, financial
loss, and spatial spread.
This study is based on a comprehensive field investigation at the Kavalappara landslide
site and we developed a detailed landslide susceptibility map with the local community's
involvement. The massive landslide covers 0.34 Sq.km (34 hectares) triggered by
the unprecedented monsoon rainfall coupled with unsustainable agricultural practices.
The area's risk zones have been identified and spatially mapped with the help of
a detailed field investigation using Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote
sensing technology. The output of the study can be used for the policymakers and
planners working in landslide-prone areas.
