Integrate infra projects with landslide mapping to avoid disasters: GSI

Integration of its national landslide susceptibility mapping with infrastructure development and planning in hilly or mountainous areas in the country can help avoid disasters and human fatalities, says the Geological Survey of India. These areas comprise about 12.6% or 4.2 lakh sq km of India’s landmass spreading over 159 districts,” said Megotsohe Chasie, Senior Geologist at GSI’s Geohazards Research and Management Centre in Kolkata. Bhukosh web portal “By December 31, our Bhukosh web portal will have the landslide susceptibility maps and landslide inventory data of all landslide-prone areas in the country except Arunachal Pradesh, where work is under progress and will be completed by 2022,” Mr. Chasie said. “The landslide susceptibility map spatially categorises the landslide-prone areas into high, moderate or low degrees of proneness, a very vital geo-information for use in safe land-use zoning regulations and landslide mitigation.