Lok Sabha Question No. 3220 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-01-05
Subject: Landslide Risk Reduction and Management
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 N0. 3220

TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.01.2017

## Landslide Risk Reduction and Management

## 3220. 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-East 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  programme);  and Post-disaster  studies  (landslide  inventory  mapping  and  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. Aproximately, 44,600 sq. km area has been completed under the ongoing National Landslide Susceptibility Mapping Project (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  (i) generation of field maps, (ii) categorization of hill slope in terms of landslide susceptibility, (iii) preparation of landslide inventory database using high resolution remote sensing data, archival information and field inputs and (iv) preparation of spatial database for geo-factors of landslides.

Besides this, GSI has also carried out meso-scale (on 1:10,000 scale) landslide susceptibility  mapping  in  the  different  regions  for  (i)  preparation  of  meso-scale  detailed landslide  inventory  database  using  very  high  resolution  remote  sensing  data  and  field inputs (ii) application of appropriate deterministic techniques for slope stability assessment and  (iii)  preparation  of  meso-scale  landslide  susceptibility  map  in  a  GIS  by  integrating rated and weighted thematic geofactor maps.

In  addition,  Analog maps of Landslide Susceptibility on meso-scale (1:10,000) has been prepared  by  GSI  in  Shillong  town  of  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 study through detailed mapping (1:2000  scale)  at  Sonapur  landslide  in  Meghalaya;  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  concluded  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.

In  order  to  capacity  building,  GSI  has  conducted  landslide  awareness  programme  in collaboration with State Government and National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA). Contact programmes are being conducted for raising awareness and developing resilience.  Recently  completed contact programmes are in Aizwal, Mizoram (on 22 July 2015); Guwahati, Assam      (on 15 July 2016); East Jaintia Hills district, Meghalaya (on 22 August 2017).

Further, the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) invites participants from all  the  states/U'I'  of  the  country  in  its  in-campus  training  programmes  including  NorthEastern  Region.  In  addition  NIDM  has  been  conducting  training  programmes  in  North Eastern Region.

As part of the mandate under the Disaster Management Act 2005, the NIDM has organized more than 20 Training Programmes on Disaster Risk Reduction including landslides since 2006 in different states of the Northeast India including Sikkim.

***