Landslides in India, Governor’s Power over State Legislation, Impact of Woody Encroachment

(General Studies III – Environment Section – Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment. Disaster and Disaster Management.)

• The recent tragedy in Kerala, where landslides claimed at least 122 lives and injured 197, has once again underscored the severe threat posed by such natural disasters in India.
• The landslides, which flattened villages in Wayanad and caused extensive damage, are a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities of regions prone to such events.
• The cascading wave of mud, boulders, and uprooted trees buried villages and altered river courses, highlighting the devastating impact of landslides.

What is a Landslide?

A landslide is a geological phenomenon involving the downward movement of rock, soil, and debris on a slope. It can vary in scale from small, localized shifts to massive and destructive events. Landslides can occur on both natural and man-made slopes, often triggered by factors such as heavy rainfall, earthquakes, volcanic activity, human activities (like construction or mining), and changes in groundwater levels.

Types of Landslides –

1. Slides: Movements of soil or rock along a rupture surface or zone of weakness, including Rotational Slides (Rupture surface is curved) and Translational Slides (Rupture surface is planar).
2. Flows: Movements of soil or rock with a large amount of water, making mass flow like a fluid. Subtypes include Earth flows, Debris flows, Mudflows & Creep.
3. Spreads: Lateral extension and cracking of soil or rock, often caused by liquefaction or plastic deformation.
4. Topples: Forward rotation and free-fall of mass from a vertical or near-vertical cliff or slope.

5. Falls: Detachment from a steep slope or cliff, descending by free-fall, bouncing.

Government Initiatives to Mitigate Landslide Risks –

1. National Landslide Risk Management Strategy (2019): Comprehensive risk reduction and management, including hazard mapping, monitoring, early warning systems, awareness programs, and capacity building.
2. Landslide Risk Mitigation Scheme (LRMS): Financial support for site-specific mitigation projects, focusing on disaster prevention, mitigation, and R&D in monitoring critical landslides.
3. Flood Risk Mitigation Scheme (FRMS): Pilot projects for developing model multi-purpose flood shelters & river basin-specific flood early warning systems.
4. National Guidelines on Landslides and Snow Avalanches: NDMA guidelines for mitigating landslide risks, covering hazard assessment, vulnerability analysis, risk management, and community participation.
5. Landslide Atlas of India: Document by NRSC providing details of landslides, including damage assessment of specific locations.

Way Forward –

1. Resilience Building: Develop resilience against geo-hazards through real-time monitoring and data collection.
2. Leveraging Technology for Effective Monitoring: Use web-based sensors and prioritize monitoring in densely populated areas.
3. Integrated Early Warning System (EWS): Develop EWS using AI and ML algorithms to predict and alert communities about impending hazards.
4. Formation of Himalayan States Council: Establish a collaborative platform for disaster management authorities to share knowledge and resources.
5. Simulation and Hazard Assessment: Focus on simulating and assessing hazard scenarios to understand risks and formulate mitigation strategies.
6. Knowledge Dissemination: Share findings of assessments across states for a comprehensive understanding of challenges and solutions.
7. Ecosystem Protection: Promote sustainable practices and responsible resource use to safeguard the natural environment.
8. Sustainable Socio-Economic Development: Balance resource exploitation with ecological preservation for long-term viability.
9. Environmental Considerations: Proper town planning, effective drainage systems, scientific slope management, and use of retaining walls.
10. Building Codes and Assessment: High-resolution mapping and load-bearing capacity assessment to create effective building codes.
11. Sustainable Tourism: Promote environmental awareness, conservation, and responsible tourism to reduce landslide risks.
12. Building Sustainable Government Projects: Conduct environmental assessments, use eco-friendly technologies, involve local communities, and promote stakeholder awareness.

Addressing the challenges posed by landslides requires a multi-faceted approach involving technological, ecological, and socio-economic strategies. By leveraging technology, fostering collaboration, and promoting sustainable development, we can mitigate the risks and enhance resilience against landslides in vulnerable regions like the Himalayas and the Western Ghats.

• The Myanmar military’s coup d’état in 2021 led to a seismic shift in the country’s politics. The military miscalculated the resistance to the coup, which resulted in sustained violent opposition and the rise of Armed Groups.
• The removal of Aung San Suu Kyi and other civilian leaders prompted ongoing resistance, leading the military to use indiscriminate force and damaging its legitimacy.

The Brotherhood Alliance

• The Brotherhood Alliance comprises the Arakan Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army.
• The Alliance captured strategically important towns, and the military risks losing control of its regional headquarters in Lashio, northern Shan State.

The Arakan Army

• The Arakan Army dominates large parts of Rakhine province.
• The armed group has seized territories on the Bangladesh border and is nearing key port towns on the Bay of Bengal coast, such as Kyauk Phyu, Sittwe, and Ngapali.
• Kyauk Phyu is a vital node in China’s Belt and Road Initiative and India’s Kaladan project, making peace and stability in Sittwe crucial.

Dig Deeper: Read about armed groups of Myanmar like NSCN-K and Kuki National Organisation-Burma which pose security implications for India.

• The handling of state legislation by some Governors has raised serious constitutional concerns.
• The Supreme Court ruled that Governors do not have a veto over Bills.
• The misuse of the provision for Presidential consideration of Bills undermines federalism.
• Kerala has filed a writ petition against the Governor’s action of sending Bills to the President and the subsequent refusal of assent.
• Despite Supreme Court judgments, the Governors of these states have not acted accordingly.
• Kerala sent seven Bills to the President, four of which were refused without reason. The inaction on these Bills ranged from 10 to 23 months.
• The provision for Presidential consideration is being questioned as a contrived veto over State laws, not envisaged by the Constitution.
• It is time for the Court to adjudicate this issue and establish clear limitations on the use of the option given to Governors.
• This would ensure that Governors act in accordance with constitutional principles and respect the legislative authority of State Assemblies.

Dig Deeper: Read Article 163 of the Indian Constitution in the context of discretionary powers to the Governor.

• Woody Encroachment and Its Effects, a study published in Global Change Biology found that more trees in open ecosystems like savannahs and grasslands have substantially reduced the number of native grassland birds.
• In the African Savannah, the population of grassland birds has declined by over 20%.
• Grasslands and savannahs are biodiverse habitats in tropical and temperate regions worldwide, covering nearly 40% of the earth’s landmass.
• They host many endemic and at-risk species of plants and animals.
• However, they are rapidly being lost due to conversion to agriculture, erosion, large-scale development and overgrazing.
• An unusual threat is woody encroachment, the increase in tree and shrub cover converting open habitats to wooded ones, leading to ecosystem homogenization.
• Grasslands occur across different climatic regimes. In the Himalayan foothills, tall, wet grasslands are inhabited by iconic species such as Indian one-horned rhinoceroses and Bengal floricans.
• Invasive Species Large-scale tree plantation programs have exacerbated the problem.

Dig Deeper: Take note of Gliricidia, an invasive tree species that was in discussion recently.