PANAJI
In worrying news for the State, the Indian Space Research Organisation has identified both the districts of Goa – north and south – as landslide affected among the 147 landslide-affected districts in the country.
The data in the Landslide Atlas of India, published recently by ISRO under the Department of Space places the north Goa district at 111th position while the south Goa district has been placed at 121.
The atlas lists 147 districts in 17 States and 2 Union Territories of India for their exposure to landslides in terms of key socio-economic parameters as per data published on February 28, 2023 by ISRO.
The report also highlights the two landslides that occurred in 2014 and one that occurred in 2017 in Goa.
The atlas contains information about landslides in India's landslide provinces, as well as damage assessments for specific landslide locations.
Geospatial landslide inventory database consisting of approximately 80,000 landslides in India mapped by NRSC/ISRO during the 1998-2022 period is reported through the Atlas.
Landslides are one of the most common natural disasters that cause major problems in mountainous terrain, killing hundreds of people each year while also destroying property, disrupting transportation, and cutting off communication links.
Landslides threaten approximately 0.42 million square kilometres, or 12.6% of the land area, excluding snow-covered areas.
The majority of landslides are caused by variability in rainfall patterns, whereas sporadic events like very heavy rainfall outside of the monsoon season (Kedarnath event in 2013) and earthquakes (Sikkim earthquake) cause significant disruption to livelihood and infrastructure.
