Differentiate the causes of landslides in the Himalayan region and Western Ghats.
Approach · directive: “differentiate”
What it asks · Contrast the natural and human causes of landslides in the young, seismically active Himalaya with those in the older, monsoon-fed Western Ghats.
It asks 2 things — answer each
- Differentiate the natural causes of landslides in the Himalaya and the Western Ghats: rock, tectonics, relief, water and ice
- Differentiate the human causes and the resulting character of slides in each region
Open with · GSI places about 12.6% of India's land in the landslide-prone category, including the North-West Himalaya and the Western Ghats; both fail in the monsoon, for different reasons.
Cover
- Rocks: Himalaya of sedimentary rock and loose deposits; Ghats of very hard rock.
- Tectonics: Himalaya active, so quakes trigger slides; Ghats relatively stable.
- Himalayan triggers: cloudbursts, snowmelt, freeze-thaw and river undercutting on very steep slopes.
- Himalayan human factors: road widening, tunnels, dams and crowded towns (Joshimath).
- Ghats triggers: near-vertical cliffs, strong mechanical weathering, heavy rain over short periods.
- Ghats human factors: plantations, quarrying and building on slopes (Wayanad).
- Way forward: build GSI's susceptibility mapping (begun 1980) into zoning, with rain-linked early warning.
Close with · The Himalaya needs restraint in building on young, active rock; the Ghats need forest kept on rain-soaked slopes.
Add value (verified)
- GSI's landslide-hazard portal places about 12.6% of India's land area (excluding snow cover) in the landslide-prone category: roughly 0.14 million sq. km in the North-West Himalaya and 0.09 million sq. km in the Western Ghats and Konkan hills, with a further 0.18 million sq. km in the North-East Himalaya.Landslide Hazard - Geological Survey of India (Bhusanket portal) ↗“In India, about 0.42 million sq. km or 12.6% of land area, excluding snow covered area, is prone to landslide hazard. Out of this, 0.18 million sq. km falls in North East Himalaya, including Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalaya; 0.14 million sq. km falls in North West Himalaya (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir); 0.09 million sq. km in Western Ghats and Konkan hills”
- GSI began systematic landslide susceptibility mapping in 1980.Landslide Hazard - Geological Survey of India (Bhusanket portal) ↗“Since 1980, GSI initiated landslide susceptibility mapping following the prevailing systematic approaches.”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2021, GS Paper I — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 16 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 201words · Minimalist IAS
GSI places about 12.6% of India's land in the landslide-prone category, including 0.14 million sq. km in the North-West Himalaya and 0.09 million sq. km in the Western Ghats and Konkan hills. Both fail in the monsoon, but for different reasons.
| Cause | Himalaya | Western Ghats |
|---|---|---|
| Rocks | Sedimentary, loose deposits | Very hard rocks |
| Tectonics | Active; quakes trigger slides | Relatively stable |
| Rain | Monsoon, cloudbursts, snowmelt | Heavy bursts over short periods |
Himalaya: geology-driven
- Young, active ranges: sedimentary rock and unconsolidated deposits fail on very steep slopes.
- Water and ice: cloudbursts, snowmelt and freeze-thaw add to rain; rivers cutting gorges undercut slopes.
- Human pressure: road widening, tunnels, dams and crowded hill towns load fragile slopes, as Joshimath's subsidence (since then) showed.
Western Ghats: rain-driven
- Steep escarpments: many slopes have almost vertical cliffs, so even hard rock falls directly.
- Weathering and rain: strong mechanical weathering and intense rain saturate thick soil into debris flows.
- Land use: deforestation for plantations, quarrying and building on slopes, as at Wayanad (since then).
Way forward
- Hazard zonation: build GSI's landslide susceptibility mapping, begun in 1980, into zoning rules, with rain-linked early warning.
The Himalaya needs restraint in building on young, active rock; the Ghats need forest kept on rain-soaked slopes.
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.
