Irshalwadi landslide in Western Ghats of India: Observations from precursory slope movement, rainfall and soil moisture
The Western Ghats of India, a UNESCO world heritage site, is gradually becoming a hotspot for catastrophic landslides. On July 19, 2023, the entire Irshalwadi village in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, India, was obliterated due to a single catastrophic landslide. Of the 228 residents of the vil...
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KeAi Communications Co. Ltd.
2024-12-01
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666592124000040 |
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| author | Nirmala Jain Priyom Roy Punit Jalan Tapas R. Martha Iswar C. Das |
| author_facet | Nirmala Jain Priyom Roy Punit Jalan Tapas R. Martha Iswar C. Das |
| author_sort | Nirmala Jain |
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| description | The Western Ghats of India, a UNESCO world heritage site, is gradually becoming a hotspot for catastrophic landslides. On July 19, 2023, the entire Irshalwadi village in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, India, was obliterated due to a single catastrophic landslide. Of the 228 residents of the village, the landslide killed 27 people and 57 are still reported to be missing. The landslide occurred on a slope which exhibited no visual precedence of disturbance or creep. However, analysis of potential precursory movements prior to slope failure using the Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) technique reveals active movement near the base of the slope (in order of ∼12 mm/y). Sentinel-2 satellite imagery acquired post-event characterises the landslide as a bifurcated debris flow possibly triggered by heavy rainfall in the region. Peak cumulative rainfall, estimated by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), was observed in this region on 17, 18 and July 19, 2023 (∼500) mm and was the highest recorded rainfall in the region during the given period. This caused significant water percolation into the porous basaltic soil, leading to increased soil moisture, as supported by the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) data. The resultant increase in pore pressure caused the slope material to fail and eventually trigger the landslide. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-32db2859e2494ecc9344ab19504004a4 |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. |
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| spelling | doaj-art-32db2859e2494ecc9344ab19504004a42025-08-20T02:19:34ZengKeAi Communications Co. Ltd.Natural Hazards Research2666-59212024-12-014457958310.1016/j.nhres.2024.01.004Irshalwadi landslide in Western Ghats of India: Observations from precursory slope movement, rainfall and soil moistureNirmala Jain0Priyom Roy1Punit Jalan2Tapas R. Martha3Iswar C. Das4National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Hyderabad, 500 037, IndiaCorresponding author.; National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Hyderabad, 500 037, IndiaNational Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Hyderabad, 500 037, IndiaNational Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Hyderabad, 500 037, IndiaNational Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Hyderabad, 500 037, IndiaThe Western Ghats of India, a UNESCO world heritage site, is gradually becoming a hotspot for catastrophic landslides. On July 19, 2023, the entire Irshalwadi village in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, India, was obliterated due to a single catastrophic landslide. Of the 228 residents of the village, the landslide killed 27 people and 57 are still reported to be missing. The landslide occurred on a slope which exhibited no visual precedence of disturbance or creep. However, analysis of potential precursory movements prior to slope failure using the Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) technique reveals active movement near the base of the slope (in order of ∼12 mm/y). Sentinel-2 satellite imagery acquired post-event characterises the landslide as a bifurcated debris flow possibly triggered by heavy rainfall in the region. Peak cumulative rainfall, estimated by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), was observed in this region on 17, 18 and July 19, 2023 (∼500) mm and was the highest recorded rainfall in the region during the given period. This caused significant water percolation into the porous basaltic soil, leading to increased soil moisture, as supported by the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) data. The resultant increase in pore pressure caused the slope material to fail and eventually trigger the landslide.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666592124000040Rainfall induced landslideSoil moistureRainfallBasaltic terrain |
| spellingShingle | Nirmala Jain Priyom Roy Punit Jalan Tapas R. Martha Iswar C. Das Irshalwadi landslide in Western Ghats of India: Observations from precursory slope movement, rainfall and soil moisture Natural Hazards Research Rainfall induced landslide Soil moisture Rainfall Basaltic terrain |
| title | Irshalwadi landslide in Western Ghats of India: Observations from precursory slope movement, rainfall and soil moisture |
| title_full | Irshalwadi landslide in Western Ghats of India: Observations from precursory slope movement, rainfall and soil moisture |
| title_fullStr | Irshalwadi landslide in Western Ghats of India: Observations from precursory slope movement, rainfall and soil moisture |
| title_full_unstemmed | Irshalwadi landslide in Western Ghats of India: Observations from precursory slope movement, rainfall and soil moisture |
| title_short | Irshalwadi landslide in Western Ghats of India: Observations from precursory slope movement, rainfall and soil moisture |
| title_sort | irshalwadi landslide in western ghats of india observations from precursory slope movement rainfall and soil moisture |
| topic | Rainfall induced landslide Soil moisture Rainfall Basaltic terrain |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666592124000040 |
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