Page 7 - Landslide

Changing rainfall pattern linked to landslides in U'khand: Expert

A change in the pattern and intensity of rainfall like the lack of long periods of widespread rainfall in Uttarakhand has emerged as an important reason for the increase in landslide incidents in the hill state this monsoon. Dr Sunil Nautiyal, Director of Almora-based GB Pant National Himalayan Environment Institute, said that due to the change in the pattern of rainfall linked to climate change factors and the decreasing capacity of the fragile Himalayan region to withstand it, more landslides have occurred this monsoon. "This year widespread rain has occurred only between September 13 and 15, otherwise it remained at local levels throughout the monsoon," he said. Meteorological Department sources in Uttarakhand said that this year an average of 102 mm of rain was recorded in three days between September 13 and 15 and it had occurred widely. Nautiyal said, "Apart from this, there has been a change in the pattern of rainfall in the Himalayan region. Now it starts raining suddenly

Myanmar's toll from Yagi rises past 200 with tallying hindered by civil war

Floods and landslides in Myanmar triggered by last week's Typhoon Yagi and seasonal monsoon rains have claimed at least 226 lives, with 77 people missing, state-run media reported Tuesday. The death toll, reported in the state-run Myanma Alinn, was almost seven times Friday's initial total of 33, with strong prospects of it continuing to rise. The counting of casualties has been slow, in part due to communication difficulties with the affected areas as Myanmar is wracked by civil war. Typhoon Yagi earlier hit Vietnam, northern Thailand and Laos, killing almost 300 people in Vietnam, 42 in Thailand and four in Laos, according to the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance.

Relief from Centre: Kerala should see if ok to inflate figures, says Cong

The opposition Congress in Kerala on Tuesday said that the ruling Left government in the state needs to examine whether it was right to show allegedly inflated figures to get more funds from the Centre for disaster relief work in landslides-hit Wayanad district. Senior Congress leader and former Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Ramesh Chennithala urged the Left government to disclose the true facts, including what was stated in its affidavit submitted in the Kerala High Court regarding the Wayanad relief efforts. His remarks come a day after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan rubbished the charges of the BJP and UDF constituent, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), accusing the Left administration of corruption in amounts spent in connection with relief measures. Vijayan had also termed as 'baseless' the media reports claiming that an exorbitant amount was spent as part of relief measures. Media reports had made the claim referring to a Kerala High Court order in connection wi

Typhoon Yagi worsens in Thailand; many evacuated, rescue efforts underway

At least 33 people have died across Thailand since mid-August from a spate of rain-related incidents including landslides

Vietnam's export factories may face weeks of disruption after Typhoon Yagi

The typhoon, the strongest in Asia this year, made landfall in Vietnam's northern coast on Saturday and was still causing deadly floods and landslides on Wednesday killing dozens

Landslide on Kedarnath route: Death toll at 5 after 4 more bodies recovered

Bodies of four more pilgrims were recovered on Tuesday from the debris of a landslide that occurred on Monday evening on the Kedarnath route, taking the toll in the incident to five, officials said. More pilgrims could be trapped under the debris, Rudraprayag Police said on Tuesday. A group of pilgrims returning from a visit to Kedarnath were trapped in the landslide at around 7.20 pm on Monday. SDRF and NDRF personnel had launched a rescue operation immediately and retrieved one body of a pilgrim identified as Gopal (50) from Dhar in Madhya Pradesh besides rescuing three others who were rushed to Sonprayag in an ambulance. The rescue operation had to suspended due to bad weather and boulders still falling from the hillside intermittently on Monday night. As recuse efforts were resumed on Tuesday morning, bodies of four more pilgrims, including three women, were pulled out of the debris The pilgrims were identified as Durgabai Khapar (50) from Ghat district in Madhya Pradesh, Tit

Govt to relocate families from Uttarkashi after Varunaavat landslide

Visuals from the area have shown the sensitivity of the region due to the landslide

6 dead, 3 injured due to heavy rain, landslides on Nagaland's NH-29

The Nagaland government has announced an ex gratia of four lakh each for the families of six people who were killed on National Highway-29 (Dimapur-Kohima) due to "large scale destruction" caused by incessant rainfall and landslides.Sixteen thousand will be given to the three injured persons as per the norms of the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA), Deputy Chief Minister Zeliang said.After the casualties on Wednesday, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio took stock of the situation and urged people to heed official advisories."Convened a meeting and took stock of the disaster situation on NH-29, which resulted in 6 casualties. I urge citizens to heed to official advisories. The Govt. is providing emergency services and ex-gratia. I extend my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased, the CM posted on X."I'm deeply concerned by large scale destruction on NH-29 caused by incessant rainfall. Authorities are on-site assessing the situation & helping those

Rahul Gandhi donates 1 month salary for rehabilitation work in Wayanad

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi has donated his one month's salary -- Rs 2.3 lakh -- to the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) towards rehabilitation activities for the victims of the Wayanad landslides, the party's state unit said on Wednesday. KPCC general secretary M Liju, in a statement, said that the donation was made to the funds being collected by the Congress' state unit as part of Gandhi's announcement that the party will build and provide 100 houses to the people of Wayanad who lost their loved ones, homes and livelihoods in the devastating landslides of July 30. As part of the fundraising, a mobile app -- 'Stand with Wayand - INC -- has been created, the statement said. It also said that Congress MP K Sudhakaran was personally assessing the progress of the Wayanad rehabilitation work. It further said that party units, subsidiaries, MPs and MLAs have been notified about the amounts to be donated by them. "Donations can be transferred directly by

Fierce storm blows out of northern Philippines leaving 14 people dead

A fierce storm was blowing out of the northern Philippines Tuesday after leaving at least 14 people dead in landslides, floods and swollen rivers, disaster-response officials said. Tropical Storm Yagi swept past Paoay town in Ilocos Norte province into the South China Sea with sustained winds of up to 75 kilometers (47 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 125 kph (78 mph), according to the weather bureau. It was forecast to strengthen into a typhoon as it barrels northwestward over the sea toward southern China. Storm warnings remained in most northern Philippine provinces, where residents were warned of the lingering danger of landslides in rain-soaked mountain villages and floodings in the farming lowlands of Luzon, the country's most populous region. Locally called Enteng, Yagi enhanced seasonal monsoon rains and unleashed downpours across Luzon, including in the densely populated capital region, metropolitan Manila, where classes and government work remained suspended Tuesday. A

Wayanad tragedy: Who is responsible for the heart-breaking landslides?

In this age of climate change, the lessons from Wayanad are clear: Learn and change, or perish

Wayanad landslides: Rahul calls for concerted efforts to revitalise tourism

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said it is imperative to make a concerted effort to revitalise tourism in Wayanad and encourage people to visit the area by dispelling the notion that it is "dangerous" place in the aftermath of the recent landslides. Gandhi made the assertion during a virtual meeting with some Kerala Congress leaders and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. In a post on X along with a video clip of the online meeting on relief and rehabilitation efforts in Wayanad, Gandhi said Wayanad is steadily recovering from the devastation caused by the tragic landslides. "While there is still much to be done, it is heartening to witness people from all communities and organisations coming together in relief efforts," he said. "There is one crucial aspect I wish to highlight that will greatly aid the people of Wayanad - tourism. Once the rains cease, it is imperative that we make a concerted effort to revitalise tourism in the area and

Chhattisgarh CM announces aid of Rs 15 crore each to Kerala, Tripura

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has announced an assistance of Rs 15 crore each to Kerala and Tripura, where heavy rains and landslides have wreaked havoc, a government official here said on Friday. In a post on X, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) stated that the chief minister has decided to provide Rs 15 crore assistance each from the Disaster Relief Fund to Tripura and Kerala. "In the last few days, we have received sad news about the loss of lives and property on a large scale due to natural calamities in Tripura and Kerala. My sympathies are with the disaster-affected people. The Chhattisgarh government is ready to help both states in this adverse situation," Sai said in the post.

Wayanad landslides: Police intensify patrols to stop thefts, selfie seekers

A post office littered with parcels of the dead and missing, a special police unit deployed to stop 'selfie tourists' and patrols to check thefts in abandoned houses is all that remains in the three Wayanad villages that were wiped off during the deadly landslides that occurred exactly a month ago. An eight-km radius of Punchirimattam, Chooralmala and Mundakkai villages in the district was devastated by at least two massive landslides that hurtled down with ferocious volumes of water and debris around 2 am on July 30 claiming more than 231 lives even as 218 different human body parts have been found, as per latest official data. The Kerala state highway no 39 leading to these picturesque villages of the hill district of Wayanad, over 470 kilometres from state capital Thiruvananthapuram, bear a testimony to the heart wrenching tragedy as police vehicles, heavy earth movers, ambulances and rescue teams line up the stretch in anticipation of any emergency in view of the continuing ...

Wayanad landslides instance of nature reacting to human greed: Kerala HC

The landslides that hit Wayanad district in Kerala claiming over 200 lives was just another instance of nature reacting to human "apathy and greed", the High Court here has said. The court said that the "warning signs" had appeared a long time ago but "we chose to ignore them in pursuit of a development agenda that would supposedly put our state on the high road to economic prosperity". It said that the natural disasters in 2018 and 2019, the pandemic that persisted for nearly two years and the recent landslides "have shown us the error of our ways". "If we do not mend our ways and take affirmative remedial action now, perhaps it will be too late," a bench of justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Syam Kumar V M said while hearing a plea initiated on its own by the court following the July 30 landslides that completely wiped away three villages in Wayanad with 119 people still unaccounted for. The court suo motu initiated the PIL "to persuade the state government to introspect on it

Four Nepali nationals found dead, trapped under debris in Uttarakhand

The rescue operation was carried out by teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and District Disaster Rescue Force

Multiple landslides hit Shimla, 20 bodies recovered, rescue ops underway

Residents expressed concern over the damaged roads and blamed local authorities for negligence leading to the landslides

Himachal incurs Rs 1,195 cr losses since monsoon onset, 55 roads shut

As many as 55 roads are blocked in Himachal Pradesh due to landslides and floods triggered by the ongoing rains and the state has incurred losses of Rs 1,195 crore since the monsoon onset this year, official data released on Wednesday showed. As many as 139 people have died so far this monsoon season in rain-related incidents. Fourteen roads are closed in Mandi, 13 in Shimla, 12 in Kangra, 11 in Kullu, two in Kinnaur and each in Bilaspur, Una and Sirmaur districts, according to the state emergency operation centre. The rains also disrupted 29 water and 14 power schemes in the state, as of Wednesday, the centre said. Meanwhile, Shimla Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap on Wednesday urged the residents here, especially students, office-goers and patients visiting hospitals for treatment, to keep a half-hour margin while travelling. The traffic problem in the state capital is worsening due to the limited number of roads, with landslides further exacerbating the situation, leading to

Sikkim landslides: Cong flays govt over hydel projs set up without thought

In the wake of landslides in Sikkim, the Congress on Wednesday hit out at the government and said hydel projects in ecologically fragile regions have been coming up over the past few years without giving adequate thought to their cumulative environmental impact. The opposition party also asserted that dams on the Teesta river are the prime example of how ecology is being fundamentally altered with grave consequences for this and future generations. A massive landslide struck east Sikkim on Tuesday, damaging parts of a 510-mw hydroelectric project on the Teesta river. The landslide happened at Dipu Dara near Singtam in Gangtok district around 7.30 am, causing significant damage to the powerhouse of the Teesta Stage V hydroelectric project of the NHPC. In a statement, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said a series of landslide disasters in Sikkim has substantially damaged the Teesta V, a 510 MW hydel power station on the Teesta. This disaster comes o

Teesta Dam's power station destroyed after major landslide in Sikkim

The project was under restoration following the glacial outburst in October last year, which had caused significant damage