Landslides will continue unless there is accountability, scientists, environmentalists say

Preventive measures recommended by the Landslide Study Committee in its March 2021 report

Protection of natural forest cover and strengthening of green cover

Maintaining intact natural streams and stormwater channels, drainage management

Regulation of indiscriminate use of earthmoving and electric tree cutting machines

A clearly defined land use policy, including planning and mapping, slope stability, SOPs for terrain changing activities

The delayed arrival of the southwest monsoon brought with it a fresh spell of landslides in the Western Ghats. While Kerala’s Wayanad has already witnessed a debris slide that claimed three lives, heavy rain triggered a landslide near the KSRTC bus stand at Madikeri in Kodagu district. Earlier, three people died when a retaining wall on a building at Garodi-Naguri in Mangaluru slipped on July 1.

These back-to-back incidents, which occurred during a short period of monsoon season that has seen a recovery in some areas after a lack of rain, have scientists and environmentalists questioning whether lessons have been learned from the devastating landslide episodes witnessed in the same areas in recent years.

A combination of factors

CS Patil of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said these events may be the result of a combination of geological factors combined with meteorological and topographical changes: large amounts of rainfall in a short period, loss of vegetation cover and deep root cover, and the nature of the soil, among others.

TV Ramachandra of the Center for Environmental Sciences, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), agreed. “Our earlier study in the Western Ghats reveals changes in rainfall patterns with higher occurrences of high-intensity rainfall triggering mudslides and landslides.”

He added that although heavy rainfall is the triggering factor, the main causative factors are unplanned development activities – linear projects such as roads, tunnels and others – in ecologically fragile regions, carried out without considering the carrying capacity of the region and without putting in place strict conservation measures.

He said accelerated large-scale land degradation leading to deforestation, removal of native forest species – whose roots would have provided structural stability by binding soil in fragile areas – and changing slope integrity further contributed to the problem.

He also pointed out the disruption of sewerage networks where houses and housing arrangements are being built in the path of the water course in Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada.

A recent IIT Dharwad report, Assessing Future Landslide Susceptibility and Risk Escalation under Changing LULC and Climate Conditions in the Western Ghats, Karnataka, India, also reported that the intensity and frequency of fatal landslides in the Western Ghats are adversely affected by land-use change and climate change.

Susceptibility and risks

This study assessed landslide susceptibility and risk for 2050 by incorporating land use/land cover and future rainfall patterns. It found a significant increase in rainfall intensity and urban development by 2050, resulting in an increased risk of landslides. It said the most affected areas lie along major transport corridors and densely populated areas of Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada, Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru districts.

Nagaraj Koove, an environmentalist based in Mudigere, pointed to the four-lane highways being built around conservation areas in coastal Karnataka and Malnad using “unscientific construction methods” including 90-degree cutting of hills. “That is why we are witnessing landslides even with small amounts of rainfall. Added to this is the timber mafia which is causing deforestation in the hills, rampant establishment of resorts and family houses replacing plantations and vegetation. In the end, it is the small farmers who suffer. Those who suffered in 2017-2018,” he said of the mudslides in Mudigere and Koda.

Colonel (retd) CP Muthanna, coordinator of the Save Kodagu and Cauvery Campaign and former president of the Coorg Wildlife Society, said there has been “total disregard for the conservation of the Western Ghats”.

Extensive manipulation

“Despite earlier disasters, there has been extensive encroachment on steep slopes in landslide-prone areas. The construction of large built-up areas, including resorts, construction activities and tunnelling, along with the loss of tree cover, are the direct cause of landslides in the Western Ghats. In this regard, mountain areas such as the Himalayas and the Alps are relatively resilient, while mountain areas on Ghatsegilology trails are a recipe for disaster,” he said.

“These tragedies will continue until and unless there is accountability. Many development projects and tourism infrastructure works are driven by naked greed, often fueled by nexus between politicians and contractors and facilitated by bureaucrats,” he added.

Published – 8 Jul 2026 21:10 IST