8 months ago
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An planetary study, involving a multidisciplinary squad of researchers, has recommended that the tract of the 2024 Wayanad landslides, which claimed astatine slightest 266 lives and devastated 3 villages, beryllium declared arsenic a geo-heritage determination to beforehand technological research, catastrophe preparedness and sustainable tourism.
The study, published successful the peer-reviewed world diary Geoheritage, proposes a broad model to crook the catastrophe portion into a ‘living laboratory’ for geoscience and nationalist education.
Researchers from the University of Kerala, ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Centre, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, CSIR-Central Building Research Institute, Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, University of Michigan, Michigan Technological University, and the British Geological Survey, person highlighted the technological and acquisition imaginable of the region.
The landslides, triggered by a grounds rainfall of 572.8 mm successful 48 hours, began arsenic a rockslide and transformed into a monolithic debris travel that travelled 8 km to origin wide demolition successful Punchirimattom, Mundakkai and Chooralmala villages. The disaster, which altered the people of the Punnapuzha stream and destroyed implicit 1,500 buildings, is described arsenic 1 of the astir terrible successful India’s caller history.
The connection includes processing 2 segments—a ‘field segment’ with harmless walkways and guided trails for studying landslide scars, vanished waterfalls and post-disaster hydrological changes; and a ‘museum segment’ successful Chooralmala with exhibits, a meteorological station, probe facilities and a memorial for the victims of the disaster.
The survey besides recommends installing real-time monitoring equipment, including tiltmeters, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) sensors, piezometers, ungraded moisture detectors and automated upwind stations to amended aboriginal landslide informing systems.
The authors accent that designation arsenic a geo-heritage tract would align with UNESCO’s initiatives to sphere dynamic geomorphosites, portion besides empowering section communities done geo-tourism-linked livelihoods.
Challenges abound
At the aforesaid time, the survey besides acknowledges assorted challenges successful designating the landslides tract arsenic a geo-heritage location. For one, the fast-growing vegetation successful the portion complicates the preservation of the site’s geological features. Another hurdle is the region’s continued vulnerability to landslides, which could airs risks to immoderate geo-heritage infrastructure. However, this tin beryllium addressed done cautious tract selection, hazard zonation and resilient construction, the insubstantial states.
