Lok Sabha Question No. 6441 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-04-06
Subject: Landslides in North-Eastern Region
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: PREM DAS RAI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6441

TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.04.2018

## Landslides in North-Eastern Region

## 6441. SHRI PREM DAS RAI:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  taken  steps  to  ensure  landslide  risk  reduction  and management in the North-Eastern Region including Sikkim; and
- (b) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

(a) and (b)   As per the information received, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has taken initiatives  in  the  field  of  landslide  risk  reduction  and  management  through  landslide susceptibility  mapping  in  various  scales  in  different  parts  of  the  country  including  NorthEastern Region (NER) and Sikkim.

GSI in its landslide studies included Pre-disaster studies (multi-scale landslide susceptibility/hazard/risk mapping & conducting landslide awareness programmes); and Postdisaster studies (landslide inventory mapping, site specific detailed geological mapping, slope stability analysis and landslide monitoring).

Under Pre-disaster studies, GSI has already formulated and carried out a National Landslide Susceptibility Mapping (NLSM) Programme on macro-scale (1:50,000 scale) in various parts of  the  country  including  NER  and  Sikkim.  Approximately,  44,600  sq.  km  area  has  been completed  under  NLSM  in  all  the  states  of  NER,  except  Arunachal  Pradesh.  The  State Remote Sensing Application Centre (SRASC) of Arunachal Pradesh has carried out landslide susceptibility mapping for the entire Arunachal Pradesh.  The outcome of the study includes preparation of landslide inventory database and spatial database for geo-factors of landslides.

Besides this, GSI has also carried out meso-scale (1:10,000) landslide susceptibility mapping in different regions. Analog maps of Landslide Susceptibility on meso-scale (1:10,000) have been prepared by GSI for Shillong town in Meghalaya; Serchip, Chiahtiang Townships and Lunglei area of Mizoram, Mangan Urban area, Singtam-Mangkha-Dikchu road corridor and Singhik-Manul-Paegum-Chungthang road sector of North Sikkim Highway in Sikkim.

On landslide remediation, GSI has carried out Site specific landslide studies through detailed mapping (1:2000 scale) at Sonapur landslide in Meghalaya; and Martam Landslide, Rongpo Landslide, 9 mile landslide complex, Malten Landslide, Old Carbonment area, Gangtok, B2 slide,  Monitoring  of  9  mile  slide  complex,  Andheri  Jhora  Landslide  on  Ranipool  Pakyong road, Bojek, Psochen Pheri, Lanta-Khola, Manvir colony, Namak, Theng and Mayang Chu landslide,  Sub-Jail  Complex  area,  Omchung  Gyalshing,  Kyangsla  and  17  Mile  landslide, Sangkhola landslide on NH-31A, 5th Mile Landslide on Gangtok-Nathula road in Sikkim.

GSI has recently conducted Research and Development (R&D) on 1:50000 landslide hazard and risk mapping for regional planning with case studies on selected highly vulnerable areas of Higher Himalayas in various parts of NER.

For capacity building, GSI has conducted landslide awareness programmes in collaboration with  State  Governments  and  National  Disaster  Management  Agency  (NDMA).  Contact programmes are being conducted in various towns of North East for raising awareness and developing resilience.  National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) has also organized more than 20 Training  Programmes on Disaster Risk Reduction including landslides since 2006 in different states of the Northeast including Sikkim.

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