“The Himalayas are highly prone to landslides.” Discuss the causes and suggest suitable measures of mitigation.
Approach · directive: “discuss / suggest”
What it asks · Explain the natural and human causes of frequent Himalayan landslides, then propose practical measures to reduce the risk.
It asks 2 things — answer each
- Discuss: the causes of Himalayan landslides, natural (tectonics, weak material, slope, rain) and human
- Suggest: suitable measures of mitigation, from hazard mapping and regulation to engineering and preparedness
Open with · The Himalayas are young, tectonically active mountains of weak sedimentary rock and loose deposits on very steep slopes, so landslides there are very frequent.
Cover
- Natural: tectonic activity and Seismic Zones IV and V loosen slopes; sedimentary rock and loose deposits fail easily.
- Natural: steep gradients, river undercutting, intense monsoon rain and cloudbursts, as in the 2013 Uttarakhand disaster.
- Human: road cutting and blasting, hydropower tunnels, quarrying, muck dumping, deforestation and building on unstable slopes.
- Mapping: GSI's National Landslide Susceptibility Mapping (from 2014-15) has covered 4.3 lakh sq km; maps should guide master plans.
- Regulation and engineering: geotechnical appraisal, retaining walls, rock bolting, drainage and deep-rooted native vegetation.
- Preparedness: rainfall-threshold warnings, slope monitoring, district plans, trained volunteers and carrying-capacity limits.
Close with · Landslides cannot be stopped in a rising range, but the Sendai Framework's aim of substantially reducing disaster losses is reachable if Himalayan towns build only where slopes allow.
Add value (verified)
- GSI's National Landslide Susceptibility Mapping, launched in 2014-15, has mapped 4.3 lakh sq km of landslide-prone areas.Risk mapping of hilly areas under NLSM — PIB, Ministry of Mines (Dec 2023) ↗“Under the National Landslide Susceptibility Mapping (NLSM) Programme, launched in the year 2014-15, the Geological Survey of India (GSI), Ministry of Mines has completed landslide susceptibility mapping of 4.3 lakh sq. km. of landslide prone areas in the country”
- The Sendai Framework (2015) seeks a substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses.UNDRR — What is the Sendai Framework ↗“The substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health and in the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities and countries.”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2016, GS Paper I — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 16 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 268words · Minimalist IAS
NCERT notes that debris avalanches and landslides occur very frequently in the Himalayas: the range is tectonically active, built of sedimentary rock and loose deposits, and very steep. Monsoon rain and careless construction turn this natural fragility into disaster.
Natural causes
- Tectonics: the range is still rising and lies in Seismic Zones IV and V; tremors loosen rock and debris.
- Weak material: sedimentary rocks and unconsolidated or semi-consolidated deposits give way easily when wet.
- Steep slopes and river cutting: rivers undercut the toe of steep slopes, removing their support.
- Intense rain: monsoon downpours and cloudbursts saturate slopes, as in the 2013 Uttarakhand disaster.
Human causes
- road cutting and blasting
- muck dumped downhill
- blocked drainage
- saturated debris
- landslide
- Construction: roads, hydropower tunnels, quarrying and buildings on steep slopes or old landslide debris.
- Deforestation and sprawl: lost root binding and poor drainage in fast-growing hill towns and pilgrim routes.
Measures of mitigation
- Hazard mapping: the GSI's National Landslide Susceptibility Mapping (from 2014-15) has covered 4.3 lakh sq km; its maps should set no-construction zones in master plans.
- Regulation: geotechnical appraisal of roads and dams, safe cut-slope standards, and no building on natural drainage lines.
- Engineering and bio-engineering: retaining walls, rock bolting, gabions, surface and subsurface drainage, and deep-rooted native grasses and trees.
- Preparedness: rainfall-threshold early warning, monitoring of active slides, district disaster plans and trained village volunteers.
- Carrying capacity: studies before hill towns and pilgrim circuits expand further.
Landslides cannot be stopped in a rising range, but the Sendai Framework (2015) goal of a substantial reduction of disaster losses is reachable if Himalayan towns build only where the slope allows.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 16 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
