Climate Change, Human Activities, and the Rising Threat of Landslides in India

The surge in landslides in India is a combined effect of climate change and growing human intervention, both of which destabilize the terrain. According to a geological expert, several factors can lead to increased landslide events in the mountainous and hilly areas of India. Steep slopes in these areas, composed of rocks, soil, or debris, are susceptible to instability under the influence of gravity. Any disturbance to these slopes, whether natural or human-induced, can increase the likelihood of landslides. Moreover, some of these areas are tectonically active, with geological structures that are young, fragmented, and highly weathered, making them weaker and more prone to collapse during rain or earthquakes.