Lok Sabha Question No. 3114 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-20
Subject: Landslides and Cloudbursts in Hilly Areas
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Pratibha Singh

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO: 3114

TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.03.2023

## Landslides and Cloudbursts in Hilly Areas

## 3114. SHRIMATI PRATIBHA SINGH

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

- (a) whether  the  Government  taken  note  into  disaster  risks  reduction  for  landslides  and cloudbursts and propose to plan for latest technology to risk reduction in hilly areas;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  made  any  assessment  of  the  damage  caused  by landslides and cloud bursts in such States during the last three years;
- (d) if so, the details and results thereof; and
- (e) the remedial measures taken/being taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a) to (e) Cloudbursts are short lived extreme weather events in which heavy rainfall occurs over very  small  areas  (20-30  sq.km.)  at  a  very  fast  rate  (100mm/hr).  In  India,  cloudbursts occur during monsoon season over orographically dominant regions like Himalayan region, north eastern States and Western Ghats. Prediction of cloud burst is a challenging task. This is  mainly  attributed  to  small  size,  short  duration  and  sudden  development  of  thunderstorm and also due to the complexity of associated atmospheric processes which prevail in tropical regions  like  India.  As  such,  cloudbursts  are  not  predictable  across  the  world.    High Resolution  Numerical  Weather  Prediction  (NWP)  models  are  also  available  with  Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) to provide forecast on occurrence of thunderstorm in short range.  The  warnings  are  made  available  to  State  Governments  and  general  public  through various modes of dissemination including social media, so as to take precautionary measures.

Geological Survey of India has launched a program called National Landslide Susceptibility Mapping  (NLSM)  to  prepare  landslide  inventory,  and  landslide  susceptibility  map  on  a 1:50,000  scale  in  a  seamless  manner  for  4.34  lakh  sq.  km.  area  prone  to  landslides.  The landslide susceptibility map categorises the landmass into three zones - 'High', 'Moderate', and 'Low' based on the degree of likelihood of future landslide initiation in an area under natural conditions. GSI has completed the preparation of the baseline landslide susceptibility map of the above-mentioned area.

Besides, GSI has been carrying out 1:10,000 scale landslide susceptibility mapping of critical sectors and detailed site-specific landslide investigations on a 1:1000 scale mostly as per the requests of the concerned State Governments, and other stakeholders.

The Government has brought about a paradigm shift in the approach to disaster management from  a  relief-centric  to  a  holistic  and  integrated  approach  covering  the  entire  gamut  of disaster  management  encompassing  prevention,  mitigation,  preparedness,  response,  relief, recovery  and  reconstruction.  In  pursuance  to  the  Disaster  Management  Act,  2005,  the National Policy on Disaster Management (NPDM) had been issued in 2009. It aims to build a safe  and  disaster  resilient  India  by  developing  a  holistic,  proactive,  multi-disaster  oriented and technology driven strategy.

Besides,  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  Disaster  Management  Act,  2005  and NPDM,  2009,  the  National  Disaster  Management  Authority  (NDMA)  had  prepared  the National  Disaster  Management  Plan  (NDMP)  in  2016  and  further  revised  it  in  2019, providing  therein  a  framework  and  responsibility  matrix  to  all  Government  agencies  at National, State and District levels covering all facets of disaster management cycle

*****