Landslides in Rudraprayag

Heavy rainfalls triggered landslides in Rudraprayag early Friday morning and according to official figures have killed 49 people.  This number is expected to increase because people are still missing.  An official stated that over 131 families have been affected by these landslides an about 150 animals have also died in this tragedy.  A team from the National Disaster Response Force has reached the affected areas and are helping in any way they can.  India has been suffering during this monsoon season where rain has been too intense in the northeast and not enough in the rest of the country.  Rudraprayag is located along the Himalayan mountains which is a major type of terrain that landslides occur on.  Mountain areas in general are susceptible landslides due to their steep terrain, deformed rock masses, and the occurrence of heavy rainfall which is the most common trigger of slope instability.  People severely affected by landslides may have lived and had homes in areas where slope cutting had taken place and possibly removal of vegetation due to logging, overgrazing, or construction.  It is important for search and rescue teams to be available quickly during a landslide event because victims may die quickly when buried even under 30 cm of soil or snow.  It was not stated whether or not people were warned of a possible landslide occurring, but forecasting or warning the community of slope movement has been successful in some cases throughout the world, and  also noting how much rainfall has fallen on mountainous terrain and how much will continue to fall is an important warning to forecast to the public.  Another way to prevent landslides from occurring is use a behavioral approach and have better future land use planning based on identification of site-specific risk.  It is important for areas to have drainage to limit the presence of high water pressures in a slope, vegetation on slopes will provide resistance to movement, reduce water content of the slope, and plant roots help to bind soil particles together.  In most cases it is important to minimize the overall slope angle.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/95028-nine-more-die-in-fresh-landslides-in-cloudburst-hit-rudraprayag.html

http://india.nydailynews.com/newsarticle/5054a239b7445cb925000000/india-landslide-death-toll-jumps-to-45