The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi devoting quite sometime to suggest measures to mitigate the potential damages from landslides by creating awareness among people, developing alarm system to forewarn them and minimize its effects through effective risk management.
The work related to landslides is very significant since many areas of Himachal Pradesh are prone to landslides due to young formation of hills and mountains in the Himalayas and climatic conditions like heavy rain and snow in many parts of Himachal.
More so, since landslides cause huge loss to life and property in the state and effective risk management could be vital.
The students of IIT Mandi have developed an alarm which would forewarn people about landslides and help them in saving their life and property.
They have installed an alarm system at Kot-ropi village near Padhar in Mandi district, where in a landslide few years back the entire Kot-ropi village was buried under a massive landslide and a dozen people travelling in two buses were killed.
Recently, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi in collaboration with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) conducted a five-day training programme on landslide mitigation and detailed project report (DPR) preparation at the IIT campus Kamand.
The workshop aimed at creating awareness about the potential hazards and the various risk mitigation measures for landslides by explaining the fundamental concepts of slope stability and assisting the participants in detailed project report preparation.
Internationally acclaimed expert Prof. Vikas Thakur, Head of the Civil Engineering Department, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), in his informative session on causes of landslides and their mitigation stressed the need of risk management.
Prof. Thakur said,” the risk assessment and mitigations measures followed in Norway are relevant in India too and there is need for such studies in India “.
“Emphasizing the need of reducing losses to human beings by enforcing early warning systems in the country, he said landslides are unavoidable but we can definitely mitigate its effects”.
This workshop was quite important since participants included people working on high managerial positions, educators, engineers, administrators and geologists working in various government departments of the country.
Training for preparing detailed project reports for landslide mitigation in selected areas across the country was also imparted in the workshop.
The participants also visited Kot-ropi village in Mandi distrct where massive landslide had occurred and students of IIT Mandi have installed an alarm system.
