Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Dehradun, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India is organising an International Workshop on the ‘Assessment and Mitigation of Landslides in the Himalaya’ during March 13-14, 2020.
The two-day workshop would provide a platform for sharing scientific knowledge and experiences through case studies and best practices by experts of different institutes, including ministries, international agencies, and landslide researchers.
About 75 researchers from across India and abroad, including researchers working in the Himalayan terrain from Norway, Netherland, and UK will be participating in the International workshop. The two-day deliberation will include invited talks, special talks on landslides in Uttarakhand and Sikkim Himalaya, and presentation of contributory papers (oral and poster) on a range of themes which includes ‘Landslide Hazard, Vulnerability and Risk Evaluation, Landslide Mechanism and Modelling, Climates, and Landslides, Current Practices for Landslide Studies and Prediction of landslides and Early Warning System’.
Landslide is one of the major geological hazards in the Himalaya and is one of the primary causes of environmental degradation. It poses a serious threat to the infrastructure and socio-economic conditions of the people residing within. It is estimated that around 30% of the world's landslides occur in the Himalayan terrain, and the monetary loss incurred in India is approximately 100 million $ per year.
With the ever-increasing pressure of development in the form of construction of roads, tunnels, dams, bridges, hydropower projects, and so on, the losses incurred due to landslides are increasing exponentially. There is thus an immense need to assess the landslide susceptibility and hazards in the pan Himalayan region, as the slope conditions vary regionally along and across the Himalaya. This requires regional-scale assessments of landslide susceptibility and hazard. Developing prevention strategies for mitigating the impact of related hazards has also become essential.
The workshop would add value to the present understanding of different approaches used in landslide studies and policy planning & practices. It will enable the stakeholders in preparing a roadmap for addressing risks and vulnerability in the region. It would also help in developing a network of institutions and experts around the thematic areas of the workshop.
