Landslide Susceptibility Mapping Using Geospatial Analysis in Nilgiris District Tamil Nadu India

Abstract

Landslides are widely defined as a collapse of the mass of soil or rock from a slope It is one of the natural hazards that occur perennially in hilly regions all over the world In India landslide occurs frequently in the Himalayas North Eastern parts Meghalaya plateau and the Western Ghats The Nilgiri district situated on the Western Ghats is affected by landslides throughout the year The increasing trends of disastrous landslides in the Nilgiri district are due to unplanned urban growth and unprecedented rainfall To comply with urban growth sustainable building construction and safe infrastructure development at landslide prone zones gains importance This can be made possible by studying the land suitability at landslide susceptible zones The Nilgiri district is a hilly region recorded with landslides from 1978 Seshagiri et al 1982 It geographically lies at 76o 14 and 77o 02 East longitude 11o 10 and 11o 42 North latitude covering an area of 2547 km2 The district receives rainfall from both southwest and northeast monsoons with an average annual rainfall of 1857 00 mm It is connected with other districts through roadways and railways During the years 1978 1979 1993 2006 2009 and 2011 the district suffered severe landslides causing damages to property and human lives due to heavy rain Nalina et al 2014