Vol-1, Issue-5, August 1-15, 2015 Geography and You

Free Copy

CLIMATE
geography
andyou.com

A fortnightly online magazine on weather, WATER AND hazards

Landslide
AnalyticsWeather Sense
Landslides-An Insight
Weather News Round Up
The Indigenous Landslide Monitoring Effort
MaddenJulian Oscillation (MJO) in the Tropics

G'nY CLIMATE August 1-15, 2015 Volume 1 Issue 5 1

 Be a Weather
Climate
A fortnightly online magazine on
weather, water and hazards

Volume 1 Issue 5 August 2015

journalist
FREE COPY

Advisor
Dr. Ajit Tyagi

Editor
No weather
Sulagna Chattopadhyay event is
Legal Advisor too small
or too large
Krishnendu Datta

Correspondence/Editorial Office
1584, B-1, Vasant Kunj, New
Delhi-110070
REPORT NOW
Phone: 011-26122789 Now you can
For G'nY subscriptions, renewals, put all the idle
enquiries please contact: weather talk
Circulation Manager to good use.
E-mail: editor@geographyandyou.com Calling all,
Please visit our site at professionals
www.geographyandyou.com for and amateurs to
further information. report about any
weather event
IRIS Publication Pvt. Ltd. that they find
All rights reserved throughout the unusual.
world. Reproduction in any manner, Weather
part or whole, is prohibited. Printed, events such
published and owned by Sulagna as lightning,
Chattopadhyay. cloud, hailstorm,
flooding, etc.,
are of special
Research Credit
interest to us.
LIGHTS (Learning in Geography,
You may capture
Humanities, Technology and Science)
short videos on
a not-for-profit research foundation your phone and
send it to us too.
Business Development Office
A 216-217, Somdatt Chambers-1, Photographers
Bikaji Cama Place, New Delhi -110066 are especially
Phone: +91-11-41551436, welcome.
+91-11-41551848.
There are PRIZES
Published at too. For the best
IRIS Publication Pvt. Ltd. Geography entry in reporting,
and You does not take any an award of Rs
responsibility for returning unsolicited 1000 is offered.
publication material. The report will be
published in G'nY
All disputes are subjected to the exclusive CLIMATE. For the
jurisdiction of competent courts and forums best photograph
in Delhi/New Delhi only.
a cash prize of
Rs 500 is offered,
which will be
printed in G'nY.

For queries write to editor@

geographyandyou.com
Advisor's Desk
Contents
Dear readers,
Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter,
Youtube have revolutionized the ways in which
we communicate with each other and or with
larger audience. Events taking place in any India : Feature
part of the world is on social media almost
instantly. On top of this we have a large number of 24X7 4 After Uttarakhand 2013,
news channels competing with each other for breaking news is Darjeeling next?
almost every minute. This has done good that no important
event which affects society goes unreported. Pitfall of instant 5 Need for real time monitoring
news is that its shelf life is very limited. News remains in and warning of landslides
focus if it is able to generate TRP and in the process many
6 Landslides- An Insight
important events get relegated to background. Even panel
discussions generate more heat than lights as each channel 7 Weather News Round Up
is to provide instant solution to complex problems. Many a
times,experts are cornered by anchors to express their views 8 MaddenJulian Oscillation
without having access to full details. What we require is a (MJO) in the Tropics
balance of latest news related to weather and serious analysis
of its impact on safety and well being of the people and the 10 Conference Alert
economy.
10 Weather Sense
GnY Climate plans to make full use of social media
to collect weather, water, climate and hazards related 11 The indigenous Landslide
news from the remotest part of the country, which is not monitoring effort
normally available from existing network of observation
and communication. We are enthused with overwhelming
response from readers and support from experts. To keep
GnY Climate readers updated with the latest weather events
and forecasts we have started a section on daily Weather
Updates. We also are encouraging weather enthusiasts and
nature lovers to become Weather Journalist and report
weather events of their area. In due course, we will have a
short online learning programme for Weather Journalists, so
that they could better comprehend the nuances of weather
reporting.
Since Weather and Climate Sciences have immense socio-
economic value, it is equally important that Weather and
Climate Scientists understand importance and relevance
of their work and develop services and products for the
benefit of society. GnY Climate will have analysis of the
impact of weather and climate on Agriculture, Water,
Health, Energy, Transportation,and Disasters. Scientists
also need to promote weather and climate sciences by
sharing the findings of their research work in simple
language with students and general public. GnY plans to
have a panel of experts to provide guidance to students and
young researchers. We seek support of experts to make this
endevour success.

Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Dr. Ajit Tyagi,

Former Director General,
India Meteorological Department, New Delhi.

G'nY CLIMATE August 1-15, 2015 Volume 1 Issue 5 3


Report from a Weather Journalist
After Uttarakhand 2013, is
Darjeeling next?
T
he Darjeeling Himalayas are an area with a long history of
treacherous landslides and rated amongst the most landslide-
prone zones in the country, as per the Geological Survey of
India(GSI) .During every monsoon, landslides occur with unfailing
Issues
regularity causing loss of life, land, destruction of property and
infrastructure and huge economic losses. Yet, there has been no
comprehensive and sustained programme to prevent and mitigate
this natural hazard which can, to a large extent, be predicted, man-
aged and controlled.
The last three years have seen a decrease in landslide activity in
this region, primarily due to less rainfall. This has lulled us into a
soporific state , making us forget that we live in a region which is as
fragile as it is beautiful. Political turmoil may have also contributed
to disaster management being sidelined as a priority by both gov-
ernment agencies and the political parties involved. Thus, there was
no proactive work done in this regard, even as tourism and human
interference rose in the mountains.
Other matters of concern are:
The respective drainage systems in our urban centres are crum-
bling relics of the British Raj. Whereas the increased built- up
areas in our towns have greatly increased the volume of surface
run-off , nothing has been done to expand or improve our drains.
A direct spinoff of this is that most roads, even those newly con-
Landslides in Kalimpong on 01 Jul 2015
4 August 1-15, 2015 Volume 1 Issue 5 G'nY
India
structed, have been eroded and damaged by water overflowing
from drains. Neither has much been done to control the massive
erosion being caused by mountain streams or jhoras which lie
beyond the municipal limits of towns like Kalimpong.
NREGA and other development works have mainly focused on pro-
viding connectivity. But most such roads have been constructed by
contractors with no engineering background or experience. There-
fore, these caused some fatal landslides during the July 2015 deluge.
Most structures have been built in an unplanned manner with
scant regard to building codes and regulations, exposing entire
populations to grave risks.
Our forest cover has steadily dwindled with rapid population
growth in the mountains.
There has been a perceptible shift in rainfall pattern, with de-
creased number of rainy days, alongside an increase in the in-
tensity of rainfall.
Most significantly, two major earthquakes on September 18,
2011, and April 25, 2015 rocked this region in the last four years .
These can be said to have till date unknown- adverse effects on the
stability of the slopes. Major fissures which appeared in some areas
of Kalimpong following the 2011 quake have yet to be repaired.
5. To make matters worse, we faced a cloudburst- like event on
July 1, 2015, when over 200mm of rain plummeted Darjeeling
CLIMATE
district within eight hours. This triggered numerous landslides all
over the district, killing more than 50 people in Mirik and Kalim-
pong, with 8-10 hour long traffic jams on the Darjeeling Siliguri (
NH 55) route (Darjeeling-Siliguri).
I therefore wonder, after Uttarakhand 2013, is Darjeeling next?
Social Initiative
Save The Hills (STH) is a registered Kalimpong-based NGO which
has been working on the serious landslide and earthquake problems
Weather
Journalist-
Introduction
Wg Cdr Praful Rao (retd) belongs to
Kalimpong and is founding President of
Save TheHills, a NGO working on the landslide problem of the
area. He is passionately involved in environmental issues of the
mountains and is also an excellent photographer.
Need for real time monitoring
and warning of landslides
L
andslides have emerged as one of the major hazard and
disaster. Every second day during current monsoon season
we come across news of landslide causing deaths in some
parts of the country. Landslides have been reported this year
from Kerala, Western Ghats, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal
Pradesh, Uttarakhand, North Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, and Meg-
halaya. Even today as I write this column, landslides have taken
place in Manipur claiming 21 lives and in Himachal near Man-
ali claiming four lives. In recent years landslides have occurred
in many cities because of encroachment and indiscriminate con-
struction activity in hilly tracts of the city. In our neighborhood,
landslides took place in western Nepal on 30th July resulting in
destruction of two villages, 33 deaths and 10 persons missing.
Last year in October, landslides caused more than 100 deaths in
Central Sri Lanka. Landslides in the Afghanistan and northern
parts of Pakistan are quite common. Despite of wide spread and
frequently recurring phenomena, very little has been has been
done in terms of preparedness, mitigation and early warning of
landslides in India and neighboring countries.
Unstable geological conditions of Himalayas and western
Ghats, de-forestation, indiscriminate construction activity,
heavy rainfall and poor drainage have been major cause of most
of landslides, earthquake being another causative factor. The
management /mitigation of landslide hazards require holistic
approach of planned development in hilly region based on risk
analysis and incorporating prevention and mitigation measures.
G'nY
Issues
Landslides in Kalimpong- July 2015
facing the Darjeeling Sikkim Himalayas.
Since Sep2007, STH has conducted more than 95 awareness
programmes/seminars . The organization aims at a long- term, com-
prehensive solution to the problem through active involvement of
the community.
STH has won numerous awards including the 2009 Manthan
(MASA) award for its work so far. Details can be seen on http://
savethehills.blogspot.in
Recognizing the fact that and the practice of real-time moni-
toring and early warning of potentially threatening landslides
to avert disasters was absent in India, National Disaster Man-
agement Authority (NDMA) issued detailed guidelines in 2009.
The key recommendations made in guidelines cover
L andslide hazard zonation mapping in macro and meso scales.
Setting pace setter examples for stabilization of slides and also
setting up early warning systems. Geological Survey of India was
designated as nodal agency to implement early warning system.
Setting up of institutional mechanisms for generating aware-
ness and preparedness about landslide hazard among various
stakeholders.
In addition to preparing their Disaster Management plans, the
state governments with areas affected by landslides will also
encourage the preparation of community preparedness plans
to address their own special features, outline the linkages of
the various state support systems, and the jurisdictions of each
of these departments.
The recommendations were to be implemented in time bound
manner by 2011. However, not much of progress has taken place
on ground and to the contrary frequency of landsides have shown
upward trend. Recent landslides need to be taken as a wakeup
call by NDMA and all agencies and stakeholders involved in the
management of landslides in the country to implement recom-
mendations made in NDMA guidelines.
CLIMATE August 1-15, 2015 Volume 1 Issue 5 5

Landslides- An Insight
S
ince ages, landslides have claimed thousands of lives. Land-
FEATURE
slides are sudden and rapid disasters wherein warnings and
caution may not be promptly generated. To improve landslide
prediction, it is important to understand the calamity in-depth. The
impact of the catastrophe is particularly an issue that deserves at-
tention.
Types of Landslides
Landslides are classified on the basis of how they happen. Land-
slides can be one of the following:
Debris Flow: Slope material that becomes saturated with water may
result in a mud flow. This slurry of mud and rock may uproot and
sweep off trees, houses and cars, blocking bridges and tributaries,
and hence causing floods along its path.. Debris flow is often mis-
taken for a flash flood, but the two are entirely different processes.
Source: www.unicaen.fr
Earth flows: These are similar to mudflows but are slow moving
and covered with solid material carried along by a flow from within.
They are different from fluid flows because they are more rapid.
Clay, fine sand and silt are susceptible to earth flows. The veloc-
ity of the earth flow is dependent on the water content in the flow
itself: if there is more water content in the flow, the higher will the
velocity be.
Deep-seated landslide: These are landslides in which the sliding
surface is located deep below the maximum rooting depth of trees.
Deep-seated landslides usually occur in tectonically active regions
such as the Zagros Mountains in Iran. These typically move slowly,
sometimes over years, but can occasionally move faster. They tend
to be larger than shallow landslides. They can usually be identified
with concave sharps at the top and steep areas at the toe.
Debris Landslide: A debris landslide is characterized by the chaot-
ic movement of rocks, soil and debris mixed with water or ice. They
are usually triggered by the saturation of thickly vegetated slopes
which results in a mixture of broken timber, smaller vegetation and
other debris. Debris avalanches differ from debris slides because
their movement is much more rapid. This is a result of higher water
content and is common on steeper slopes.
Sturzstrom: It is a rare and poorly understood landslide typically
with a long run out. Often very large, these landslides are very mo-
bile, flowing far over a low angle, flat, or even slightly uphill terrain.
Shallow Landslide: A landslide in which the sliding surface is lo-
6 August 1-15, 2015 Volume 1 Issue 5 G'nY
India
cated within the soil mantle or the weathered bedrock is known
as a shallow landslide. These include debris slides, debris flow and
failures of road cut-slopes. Shallow landslides can often happen in
areas that have slopes with high permeable soils on top of low per-
meable soils.
Source: www.ecy.wa.gov
Deep-seated landslide: These are landslides in which the sliding
surface is located deep below the maximum rooting depth of trees.
Deep-seated landslides usually occur in tectonically active regions
such as the Zagros Mountains in Iran. These typically move slowly,
sometimes over years, but can occasionally move faster. They tend
to be larger than shallow landslides. They can usually be identified
with concave sharps at the top and steep areas at the toe.
Deep-seated landslide: These are landslides in which the sliding
surface is located deep below the maximum rooting depth of trees.
Deep-seated landslides usually occur in tectonically active regions
such as the Zagros Mountains in Iran. These typically move slowly,
sometimes over years, but can occasionally move faster. They tend
to be larger than shallow landslides. They can usually be identified
with concave sharps at the top and steep areas at the toe.
Landslide forecasting techniques
Forecasting for landslides relate to monitoring and predicting the
conduct of the event . For monitoring, a continuous eye is kept on
the landscape, using advanced technology.
Methods for landslide monitoring include:
Remote sensing or satellite techniques: This involves using sat-
ellites for continuously inspecting and monitoring any change in
the landscape. The space-derived information is extremely useful
in landslide hazard assessment, especially where understanding the
natural processes is concerned.
Photometric techniques: The photometric technique captures the
movement of land to predict further action. This can be an effective
forecasting tool, that can help in dissemination of information to
the public.
Geodetic techniques: The geodetic technique is a ground -based
technique which uses various instruments and equipment to cap-
ture the displacement of land. The data thus generated is then in-
terpreted for the necessary forecast.
Landslide Predictions
Timely prediction of landslides can reduce the damage to property
and save lives. Prediction methods follow the monitoring tech-
CLIMATE
niques, along with analysis of the extent of the disaster.
The major elements that contribute to predictions are:
Landslide Distribution Map: Landslide Distribution maps are
the cartographic database created by government or other relevant
organizations that mark out landslide- prone areas. The map also
represents the area on a scale that can help in comparative analysis.
Geographical Information System: The Geographical Informa-
tion System (GIS) is a satellite- based system that monitors the land-
Weather NEWS ROUND UP
July 30, 2015- Nepal landslides kill 33
Landslides struck the Kaski region of western Nepal on July 30.
The disaster was a result of continuous heavy rainfall. Reportedly,
the landslip resulted in 33 deaths, with 10 others missing. Rescue
operations started immediately in full swing, the dead bodies were
recovered and the rubble cleared.
July 25, 2015- Relief, rescue operation underway in Baltal
The army launched a massive relief and rescue operation at the Baltal
base camp of the Amarnath Yatra where two children were killed
and seven people went missing in a cloudburst. A search of the area
was started by elements of the 19 Garhwal Regiment. A Quick Re-
action Team (QRT) of 24 Rashtriya Rifles also reached Sonamarg
along with rescue parties from the nearby Gagangir camp.
July 20, 2015- Incessant rain inundates Madhya Pradesh
Heavy rainfall since 18th July brought about flash floods in many
parts of the state. Worst affected areas were the historic Temple dis-
trict of Ujjain. Temples inundated.
July 18, 2015- Flash floods hit Kullu killing three
Himachal Pradesh witnessed havoc on 16th July when at least four
flash floods hit the district of Kullu. Three contract labourers were
killed while working. Several houses and bridges sustained severe
damages.
G'nY
scape for any change. The GIS system can immediately capture and
document any changes in the landform for future forecast.
Better understanding on landslides, along with improved moni-
toring and prediction techniques, can help forecast and hence,
better handling of this devastating phenomenon. With increas-
ing awareness and education, communities are themselves coming
FEATURE
together to explore better ways to cope with landslides, and the de-
struction these bring.
July 29, 2015- Flood threat looms large in Odisha
Incessant rains have triggered a flood threat in four districts of Odi-
sha. the Brahmani, Baitarani, Subarnarekha and Bhudabalanga
rivers flowed above the danger mark, some low-lying areas face pos-
sible floods in Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balesore and Mayurbhanj districts.
Many villages in Bhogarai have been marooned.
July 31- 2015-Cyclonic storm Komen causes wide spread
floods over Bangladesh and eastern India.
Cyclonic storm Komen formed over northeast Bay of Bengal on
30th July and crossed Bangladesh near Chittagong in the evening
of 30th July. The storm weakened in to Deep Depression on 31stJuly
and remained stationary over Bangladesh. The system caused very
heavy rainfall in Bangladesh, Mizoram and Manipur resulting in
floods and landslides. Deep Depression is expected to weaken and
move west-northwest wards to West Bengal and Odisha causing
very heavy rainfall leading to flood like situation in these states.
CLIMATE August 1-15, 2015 Volume 1 Issue 5 7
 MaddenJulian Oscillation
(MJO) in the Tropics
FEATURE

I
n the tropics, there is no dominant instability or wave motion
like the upper-tropospheric Rossby waves in mid-latitudes,
which interact with surface weather in a process called
baroclinic instability. As a result the tropical weather is not as
predictable as in mid-latitudes. One of the important oscillation
seen in the tropics is the MaddenJulian oscillation (MJO),
which is a massive weather event consisting of deep convection
coupled with atmospheric circulation, moving slowly eastward
over the Indian and Pacific Oceans. MJO is an equatorial
traveling pattern of anomalous rainfall that is planetary in scale.
It is a large-scale coupling between atmospheric circulation
and tropical deep convection. Unlike the standing pattern like
ENSO the MJO is a traveling pattern, propagating eastwards
at approximately 4 to 8 m/s, through the atmosphere above
the warm parts of the Indian and Pacific oceans. This overall
circulation pattern manifests itself in various ways, most clearly
as anomalous rainfall, which was initially discovered by Roland
Madden and Paul Julian (1971) as they studied the zonal winds
and the sea level pressure in a 10-year long record of tropical
data. They computed the spectra and cross spectra of different
variables from data at Canton Island (2.8S, 171.7W) which
revealed spectral peaks within a period of 41-53 days.
The anomalous rainfall associated with anomalous convection
is usually first evident over the western Indian Ocean (Fig.
1) and remains evident as it propagates over the very warm
ocean waters of the western and central tropical Pacific. This
pattern of tropical rainfall then generally becomes nondescript
as it moves over the cooler ocean waters of the eastern Pacific
(except over the region of warmer water off the west coast of
Central America) but occasionally reappears at low amplitude
over the tropical Atlantic and higher amplitude over the Indian
Ocean. The wet phase of enhanced convection and precipitation
is followed by a dry phase. Each cycle lasts approximately
3060 days. Because of this pattern, The MJO is also known
as the 3060 day oscillation, 3060 day wave, or intraseasonal
oscillation (ISO). The MJO involves variations in wind, sea
surface temperature (SST), cloudiness, and rainfall. The OLR
signal in the western hemisphere is weaker, and the recurrence
interval for the eastward propagating OLR anomalies in the
eastern hemisphere is about 30 to 60 days. The oscillation is
the largest in the stations in the Indian Ocean, at Canton and at Fig. 1: Schematic depiction of the time and space
Balboa and the smallest in stations in the western Pacific. (zonal plane) variations of the disturbance associated
with the 30-60 day oscillation.
During the boreal summer, the MJO substantially weakens due
Source : Madden and Julian 1972.
to northward migration of the warmest sea surface temperature
(SST), the intertropical convergence zone and associated of sub-seasonal fluctuations of the northward propagating
maximum boundary layer moist static energy. Meanwhile, the intertropical convergence zone. This has a meridional wave
summertime ISO exhibits prominent northward propagation in length of roughly 3000 km and propagates at a speed of about
the Indian monsoon region (Sikka and Gadgil, 1980; Pattanaik 1 latitude/day.
2003) and the active/break cycles of monsoon are manifestations Wheeler and Hendon (2004) applied EOFs to unfiltered

8 August 1-15, 2015 Volume 1 Issue 5 G'nY CLIMATE

Understanding Weather Phenomenon

with each EOF vary mostly on the

time-scale of the MJO only, and
are in approximate quadrature for
eastward propagation. They call
them Real-time Multivariate MJO

FEATURE
1 (RMM1), and RMM2. The two
indices are defined by projection of
daily observations onto combined
EOFs of OLR, u850, and u200. It
is convenient to view the state of
the MJO in the two-dimensional
phase space defined by the two EOFs
(Fig. 2). Fig. 2a shows the belt of
convection (-ve OLR) shifts during
different phases of MJO. The phase
space diagram of MJO in terms of
RMM1 and RMM2 indices with
phases from 1-8 during June to
Fig. 2. (a) Composite OLR (watts/m2) and U850 December 2014 (available from
wind (m/sec) during different phases of MJO. (b) The http://cawcr.gov.au/staff/mwheeler/
phase diagram of MJO during June-September 2014 maproom/RMM/) is shown in Fig.
in terms of RMM1 and RMM2 index. 2b. Weak MJO is defined when the
Source:http://cawcr.gov.au/staff/mwheeler/maproom/RMM/ amplitude < 1.0.
The phase of the MJO is also
data with multiple fields combined to define appropriate MJO extremely important for assessing whether conditions are
index. In particular, fields chosen were averaged OLR, u850, conducive to tropical storm development over the tropical and
and u200 over 15S-15N. The time-series coefficients associated subtropical North Pacific and North Atlantic Ocean basins. The
onset of break and active events over India and the duration of
these events are strongly related to the Phase and strength of the
MJO (Pai et al., 2009). The break events were relatively better
associated with the strong MJO Phases than the active events.
About 83% of the break events were found to be set in during
the Phases 7, 8, 1 & 2 of MJO with maximum during Phase 1
(40%). On the other hand, about 70% of the active events were
set in during the MJO Phases of 3 to 6 with maximum during
Phase 4 (21%).
During 2015 enhanced convection persisted over the eastern
Pacific Southeast Asia, Maritime Continent, and the far western
Pacific during late May and early June, consistent with El Nio.
The MJO during May was mostly weak (Fig. 3a). During early
to mid-June the MJO activity was enhanced and the phase
propagated from the Indian Ocean to the Maritime Continents
(Fig. 3a), which countered the negative impact of El Nio and the
monsoon activity was above normal over India (Fig. 3b). During
mid to late June, enhanced convection extended from maritime
continents (MJO phases 4 & 5) to the western Pacific (phase
6) and consistent with MJO influence the monsoon activity
was above normal from middle of June till 26th June (Fig. 3b).
During last few days of June and almost till end of July MJO
was very active over western Pacific, western hemisphere and
Africa (MJO phases 6,7,8,1). Associated with this the rainfall
over India was mostly subdued during last few days of June
till 18th of July except 10 and 11 July, when the rainfall was
above normal (Fig. 3b). Active convection was observed over the
Indian Ocean (MJO Phase 2) during third week of July resulting
in normal to above normal rainfall from 19th of July to almost
Fig. 3. (a) MJO phase diagram after Wheeler and Hendon (2004) end of July, 2015. (Fig. 3b).
in terms of RMM1 and RMM2 index (Source : http://cawcr.gov.
au/staff/mwheeler/maproom/RMM/. (b) All India rainfall actual Inputs from Dr. D. R. Pattanaik, India Meteorological Department, New
and normal (mm). Source: IMD Pune. Delhi. Email : drpattanaik@gmail.com

G'nY CLIMATE August 1-15, 2015 Volume 1 Issue 5 9

 Conference alert
FEATURE

Pre-Summit Workshop: A curtain raiser to Sustainable National conference on Science and Geopolitics of
Mountain Development Summit IV Arctic & Antarctic (SaGAA)
Date: August 17, 2015 Date: 29- 30 September 2015
Venue: Park Hotel, Kalimpong Venue: India International Centre, New Delhi
Website: http://inmi.in/event/disaster-risk- Organized by: LIGHTS Research Foundation
reduction-workshop Website: http://www.lights.org.in
Contact Person: Ms. Kanika Sharma
Third WMo/WWrP Monsoon heavy rainfall Workshop
Date: September 22-September 24, 2015 SDEWES Conference - 10th Conference on sustain-
able Development of Energy, Water and Environment
Venue: India Meteorological Department,
Systems
New Delhi
Date: 27th September 3rd October 2015
Lead Organisations: World Meteorological
Venue: Dubrovnik, Croatia
Organisation and India Meteorological Department.
Website: http://www.dubrovnik2015.sdewes.org/
Website: http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/arep/
index.php
wwrp/new/ tropical_meteorology.html
Organized by: University of Zagreb

Weather Sense
P
eople engaged in outdoor activities like Fishermen, Farmers to as indicator species. If they are not seen in their original spots
and Mountaineers develop weather sense by observing such as flower buds or other areas where they are mostly seen, it is
weather elements. They look for change in wind direction, a sign that bad weather is approaching. They are also the perfect
state of sky, sea conditions, and flight of birds for likely bad weather. species to study climate change.
What required is close observation of weather elements. It is not
only human beings Birds
but other creatures are It is said that weather
also known to display can be gauged by the
weather sense. Some of flight of a bird. If a
these are: bird flies really high,
then it is a sign that
Ants the weather is going to
During extreme be clear. If the bird is
humidity, you will flying low, then it is a
find red and white Source: antweb.org sign that bad weather Source: ec.europa.eu
ants building up their is approaching.
mounds or trying to
cover it for protection. Frogs
This is a sign that the If you hear a frog
weather will become croaking louder than
extremely humid and usual then it is a sign of
its best to stay indoors. a storm approaching.
So next time you are
Bees and Butterflies trekking, make sure to
They are also referred Source: bellissimanh.wordpress.com look out for this noise. Source: herpetofauna.co.uk

10 August 1-15, 2015 Volume 1 Issue 5 G'nY CLIMATE

Understanding Weather Phenomenon
The indigenous Landslide
monitoring effort
D
isaster monitoring and prediction is inevitably a countrys
most important perspective for hazard management.
In accordance to the risk, countries employ their own
technologies and prediction techniques for mapping any natural
disaster. The phenomenon of landslides is considered as one of the
most fatal disasters in our nation. Following the rise in instances
of landslides, new technologies are being formulated in our nation.
For any disaster, the government agencies provide certain
guidelines and instruction to be followed. The guidelines also
include the insight into the disaster and how should it should be
dealt. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA),
India provides certain guideline to understand the phenomenon of
each disaster. The guidelines given by NDMA for landslides explain
the nature and the behavior of disaster. The monitoring techniques
followed by the government, the technology available and the
warning issued procedure, all are included in the guidelines.
With the increasing risk of landslides in our country, the Amrita
Vishwa Vidyapeetham University has come up with the project
Advancing Integrated Wireless Sensor Networks for Real-time
Monitoring and Detection of Disasters. The project aims to establish
wireless sensor network technology with enhanced geological Deep
Earth Probes (DEPs), at the landslide prone areas.
The Project Overview
The project emerged in Amrita University, headed by Dr. Maneesha
Ramesh and Dr. P. Venkat Rangan. The programme is supported
by Ministry of Earth Sciences; it deliberates to develop a real time
monitoring and forecasting method.
The effort of Amrita University has proved miraculous; the
monitoring system has already been installed in the Anthoniar
Colony of Munnar located in the Idukki District of Kerala. Proving
a success, it is issuing landslide warnings to the inhabitants of the
region. The project is being replicated in the North- East region
of the country which suffers huge losses due to landslides. The
Government is extending its thorough support to the project, with
an aim to create a feasible technology for landslide predictions for
the whole nation.
Dr. Sumer Chopra, Scientist E from Ministry of Earth Sciences
(MoES), is coordinating the project. In an interaction with
Geography and You (GnY), he affirmed that MoES has approved
the project with an estimated cost of Rs.514 lakhs for 3 years. The
project is divided into 3 phases. In phase I, development of deep
earth probes (DEP) will be executed. Followed by phase I, field
installations at some landslide prone areas of North East India
would take place. The finally step pertains to capacity building and
validation.
The Technology involved
The technologies working together in the project will monitor
the landscape and will indicate any change in the landform. The
monitoring will be facilitated by the Deep earth probes which
consists of sensors such as moisture sensors, pore pressure sensors,
geophones, GPS, tilt meters, inclinometers, and strain gauges. The
DEPs and the localization system will collaboratively work together
G'nY
FEATURE
Source: Amrita University
to develop a comprehensive landslide monitoring system. The
data from these systems will be transmitted using heterogeneous
wireless networks to the data analysis center. The project proposes
to combine the data from the local DEP with the real time geo-
physical data, generating results and establishing in 3-D slope
monitoring software. This would monitor time-to time change
in the landscape and hence would create complete landslide
monitoring and prediction.
The project employs high-end technology, but the concern arises
that will it be able to tackle the difficulties faced in the hilly and
mountainous regions. Asked about this, Dr. Sumer explained, At
these sites, undisturbed and disturbed soil samples at different
depths would be collected for understanding the soil layer properties,
its layer compositions, and other properties that contribute to slope
instability. The project will implement innovative site-specific
solutions such as: custom designed sensors, unique software
solutions and unique back-end network solutions for each region.
The project has been augmented in the North- East region of
our country. The success of the project in the difficult terrain of this
region will establish an example for the whole nation. According
to Dr. Sumer, The North-East India is prone to several natural
disasters like floods, earthquakes, landslides etc, which results in
huge loss of property and many lives every year. An attempt to
develop a sensor based early warning system for landslides in NE
India is an important scientific endeavor. The success in NE India
can be replicated in NW Himalaya which is also prone to landslides
triggered by heavy rains and earthquakes. Also, capacity building
in the area of application of wireless technology in landslide
monitoring will help in monitoring such activity in other landslide
prone areas of India.
The project aims towards cost-reduction, probe and network
refinement, enabling the easier deployment of more such systems
across India. The till date achievements of the effort are appreciated
and further success is aspired.
CLIMATE August 1-15, 2015 Volume 1 Issue 5 11