NATURAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND MITIGATION: Digital Assignment I- 16BIT0287

Question: “The Himalayas are highly prone to landslides. “Discuss the causes and suggest
suitable measures of mitigation.

Solution
The various causes of frequent landslides on the Himalayas can be divided into-

A) The Anthropogenic causes-

 Rapid urbanization and the changing patterns of land use in the Himalayas are the most
common cause of the landslides in Himalayas.

 Increased deforestation and mining activities like quarrying and blasting are very
frequent on the Himalayan hills due to agriculture.

 The Changing river flow due to construction of barriers and dams.

 A huge increase in industrialisation which has led to weather disturbances and climate
change.

 Himalayas are famous for pilgrimages. Unsustainable development as led to massive

deforestation which has led to frequent landslides.

B) The Natural causes-

 The southern slope of Himalayas is very steep compared to its northern slope forming a
hog back shape. The steep gradient renders the region prone to landslides.

 This region also receives significant precipitation. Rainfall decreases the stability of soil
and rocks and reduces friction for it to fall more easily. This lubrication effect is
accentuated during cloud burst which occurs frequently in the Himalayan region due to
its topography.

 Sometimes Long spells of rainfall lead to landslides.

 Landslides are very generally caused in association with natural calamities like floods,
earthquake, cloudbursts, volcanic eruptions, etc.

 A Loose cover of soil and sloping terrain leads to landslides.

C) Various Measures for Mitigation:

1
NATURAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND MITIGATION: Digital Assignment I- 16BIT0287

 Mapping of the landslide prone areas.

 Restricted construction.
 Taking under the Environment impact assessment of new projects.
 Frequently checking the leakage of pipes and level of the water penetration.
 Afforestation is the easiest and most important measure for prevention.
 Creating public awareness regarding the landslides.

 Slash and burn cultivation technique called ‘JHUM,’

 Hazard mapping by demarcating areas prone to landslides and avoiding stress on those
areas for settlement
 Construction of the retention walls to avoid the land from slipping.
 Practise measures which help to check soil erosion like terrace farming, contour
ploughing, etc.
 Implementing surface drainage control works to control the movement of landslide along
with rain water and spring flows.
 Proper planning of developmental processes following sustainable methods.
 Such activities have disrupted the ecological balance, thereby resulting in loosening of
the soil. During the heavy rain, this leads to soil erosion and frequent landslides.

Question: Briefly explain any one flood control measures to reduce the impact of flood
disaster.
Solution:
There are a number of flood control measures that help to reduce the impact of flood disaster like
Introducing better flood warning systems, modifying homes and businesses to help them
withstand floods, Construct buildings above flood levels, tackling climate change, increasing
spending on flood defences, introducing water storage areas.
One of the above is Flood defences.

FLOOD DEFENCES
Rivers which are prone to the flooding should be very carefully managed. A huge number of
flood defence systems such as bunds, levees, weirs and reservoirs are used to prevent rivers from
flooding. When these methods fail, emergency tactics such as sandbags come into use.
One such flood defence system that helps to reduce the impact of floods is the SCFB. The self-
closing flood barrier (SCFB) is a flood defence system which was designed to protect property
and people from floods caused by rapid melting snow or heavy rainfall. The SCFB is built to
protect the residential, industrial properties and whole communities. The barrier system is always
ready to be deployed in the flood situation, and it can be installed to any length and uses the
rising flood water level to be deployed.
2
NATURAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND MITIGATION: Digital Assignment I- 16BIT0287

Benefits of employing SCFB

 The SCFB is not energy driven and operates without any human intervention and gives
24/7 a full 100% protection. Even when there is a power outage the SCFB will raises
instantly though the rising water level.
 Because of the short closing time the barrier will only comes up when there is a flood
situation. No unnecessary falls deployment is needed. So the area remains accessible until
the last moment.

DIAGRAM SHOWING WORKING OF SCFB