Context:
The Himalayan environment has recently been under the limelight due to the catastrophic landslides that have occurred in Himachal Pradesh, underlining both its fragility and the need to address the vulnerabilities it faces.
  
The Himalayas are a distinctive and complex environment that significantly influences the region's geology, climate, and wildlife. They are commonly considered to be the world's youngest and roughest mountain series.
  
The Geological Survey of India estimates that in many developing nations, the economic damage caused by landslides could reach 1% to 2% of the Gross National Product. Approximately 15% of the nation's area is at risk from landslides. Two areas with a significant susceptibility are the Western Ghats and the Himalayas (Northwest and Northeast India).
     
What are Landslides?
Landslides are geological occurrences that are characterised by the abrupt movement of rock, soil, and debris down slopes. Both natural and man-made slopes are susceptible to landslides, they can be caused by things like geological conditions, climatic events like heavy rain, and human activities like construction and deforestation. They can range from modest soil shifts to large-scale, devastating movements.
  
Rockfalls, mudslides, debris flows, and avalanches are some examples of the many different types of slides that can seriously damage towns, infrastructure, and landscapes.
 
Based on their movement characteristics, landslides are classified into several types: 
Slides: These are movements of rock or soil along a zone of weakness or a rupture surface. They can also be separated into translational slides, which have a planar rupture surface, and rotational slides, which have a curved rupture surface. 
  
Flows: They are motions of rock or soil that include a significant amount of water, which causes the mass to flow like a fluid. Depending on the substance and the velocity of movement, they can be further classified as earth flows, debris flows, mudflows, and creep.
  
Spreads: These are lateral extensional and mass-cracking movements of soil or rock. They are typically brought on by the material liquefaction or plastic deformation. 
  
Topples: These are soil or rock movements that involve forward rotation and a mass falling freely from a cliff or slope that is vertical or almost vertical. 
  
Falls: They are motions of rock or soil that separate from a cliff or steep slope and fall, bounce, or roll down.

Reasons behind Landslides in the Himalayan Region:  
Tectonic activity: Geological instability brought on by the continual collision of tectonic plates beneath the Himalayas results in cracks and weak spots that are vulnerable to landslides.
  
Surface Processes: The topography is weakened by erosion, weathering, and precipitation, such as rain and snow. The ecology is fundamentally unstable due to these processes and tectonic forces.
  
Events Caused by the Climate: Extreme weather conditions like severe rain and snowfall are brought on by climate change. Such occurrences saturate the soil and increase the risk of landslides, combined with freezing and thawing cycles.
  
Anthropogenic Stresses: Human activities like mining, construction, and deforestation disturb the slopes' natural equilibrium. Removing vegetation makes the soil less stable and makes it more prone to landslides.
  
Hydro-meteorological Factors: Rock strength, soil type, slope gradient, and elevation affect landslip vulnerability. Rapid snowmelt or heavy rains saturate the earth, causing landslides on vulnerable slopes.
  
Riverine Flow and Deforestation: Slope instability is caused by river erosion and slope cutting. Deforestation increases the risk of landslides by removing vegetation that stabilises soil.
  
Geological stresses: When tectonic plates collide, earthquakes are produced, releasing underground strains. This may cause rock to migrate along slopes, increasing the risk of a landslide.
 
Impact of landslides: 
Loss of Life and Infrastructure: People are at risk from landslides, which frequently cause fatalities and injuries. Buildings, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure are all susceptible to significant damage or destruction, which can disrupt communities and make daily living more difficult.
  
Evacuation and Displacement: Landslides can compel residents to leave their homes and communities, frequently with no advance warning. People who are displaced may become temporarily or permanently homeless and seek solace in shelters or with family.
  
Economic Repercussions: Landslides can leave behind significant economic damages. Local economies may be strained as a result of the cost of repairing destroyed buildings, residences, and businesses as well as resuming interrupted services.
  
Environment degradation: Landslides can transform the terrain and natural habitats, which can result in erosion, sedimentation of water bodies, and changes in water flow patterns. Ecosystems, aquatic life, and the condition of the environment as a whole may all suffer as a result.
  
Infrastructure Disruption: Landslides can obstruct or destroy roads, railroads, and other transportation networks, disrupting travel and impeding the flow of goods and services.
  
Issues with Water Quality: Landslides can cause the movement of soil and debris, which can bring contaminants into water bodies, thereby lowering the quality of the water and endangering human health.
  
Long-term effects: Landslides may have long-lasting effects on the affected areas. Years-long changes in topography, vegetation, and water drainage can have an impact on the local ecosystems and land usage.
 
Initiatives taken by the government to mitigate the risk of landslides: 
Strategic Plan for National Landslip Risk Management (2019): This covers every aspect of landslide catastrophe risk reduction and management, including hazard mapping, monitoring, early warning systems, awareness campaigns, capacity-building initiatives, training, rules, and the stabilisation and mitigation of landslides, among other things. 
  
LRMS (Landslip Risk Mitigation Scheme): This plan, which is currently being developed, calls for financial support for the site-specific landslide mitigation projects that landslide-prone states have recommended. It covers disaster prevention strategy, disaster mitigation, and R&D in monitoring critical landslides, and it will eventually result in the creation of an early warning system and capacity-building programmes.
  
Landslide Atlas of India: It is a document that describes the landslides that have occurred in India's landslide provinces and includes an evaluation of the damage caused by certain landslide locations. The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), one of ISRO's centres, prepared it.

Measures to be taken:  
Building Resilience: To meet these difficulties, it's critical to build resistance to geohazards brought on by biotic processes, anthropogenic environmental deterioration, and human activity. To monitor and gather data in real-time, a network of sensors must be put in place. 
  
Leveraging Technology: The monitoring of sensitive areas can be aided by web-based sensors including rain gauges, piezometers, inclinometers, extensometers, InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar), and total stations. In areas that are heavily populated and developed, monitoring should be given priority. 
The creation of an integrated early warning system (EWS) utilising machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms is essential. A system like this could assist in predicting and warning communities about potential dangers, providing them crucial time to take precautions.
  
Environmental Considerations: Effective town planning is essential and must take into account the special characteristics of mountainous terrain. Important components of environmentally responsible development include limiting heavy building, adopting efficient drainage systems, scientifically regulating slope cutting, and using retaining walls. 
  
Sustainable tourism: By fostering environmental awareness, resource conservation and protection, and respect for biodiversity and ecosystems, sustainable tourism can lower the risk of landslides. Local communities may also receive financial incentives and social advantages, which may increase their adaptability and resistance to natural disasters.
  
Conclusion
The Himalayan ecosystem has recently been under the spotlight as a result of the recent landslides in Himachal Pradesh, underlining both its susceptibility and the urgent need for increased resilience. The Himalayas present both a problem and an opportunity as we advance because of the natural resources and picturesque attraction they provide as a platform for balancing development and preservation.
 
LTX Mains Question 
Q. Discuss about the rising number of landslides in the Himalayan region, paying particular attention to their causes, effects, and potential solutions.