Disaster preparedness is the first step in any disaster management process. Explain how hazard zonation mapping will help disaster mitigation in the case of landslides. (UPSC GS-3 Mains 2019)
Disaster occurrence is a sudden incident which can result in widespread destruction if not prepared adequately. It is a well established practice to prepare in advance to handle crisis such as landslides through techniques like zonal mapping.
- Hazard zonation refers to “the division of the land in homogeneous areas and their ranking according to the degrees of potential hazard caused by a disaster.” It is always difficult to predict the occurrence and behaviour of a landslide. However, on the basis of past experiences with the factors like geology, slope, land-use, vegetation cover and human activities, we can divide landslide prone areas in the following zones:
- Areas that experience frequent ground-shaking due to earthquakes
- Areas of intense human activities such as construction of roads, dams, etc. are
- High rainfall regions with steep slopes
- Himalayas and Andaman and Nicobar, in the Western Ghats and Nilgiris
Further, we can prepare Landslide hazard zonation maps for individual districts / roads / routes in these areas using past occurrence data, GIS / remote sensing technology and aerial photographs. ISRO has prepared such maps for pilgrim routes in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya.
Role of zonal mapping in mitigating landslides
- Identifying vulnerable areas
Zonal mapping of landslide areas will surely allow authorities to identify those places that are vulnerable to landslides. By keeping a focus on these areas, authorities can be well prepared to handle sudden crisis.
Ex: Mountain slopes with no vegetation are the most vulnerable to landslides. In addition, high rainfall aids landslides.
- Relocation of human settlement
Saving human lives is at the core of disaster mitigation exercise. In this regard the role of preparedness becomes utmost important. The human population vulnerable due to landslides can be relocated to safer regions.
Ex: Houses present on mountain slopes needs to be relocated in order to protect them from landslides.
- Creating awareness
The threat of disasters like landslides cannot be handled by authorities alone. The citizen participation will ensure that they will not be immediately affected by the landslide.
In this regard authorities have to make people aware of the threat and also techniques to protect themselves.
Ex: Mock drills.
- Capacity building
The infrastructure needs to be built well in advance in order to tackle any sudden disasters. The people handling operations must be trained to handle any kind of crisis.
Ex: Rescue operation training.
Road ahead
The zonal mapping can be upgraded to include stimulatory mapping of disasters like landslides. These stimulators can predict location, time and intensity of disaster based on data. Thus, zonal mapping can be regarded as an important practice that can mitigate disaster like landslides upto certain extent. In addition to that, the authorities have to rely on other methods like satellite mapping etc. to handle upcoming crisis in advance.
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