Landslide and Risk Assessment in Uttarakhand with Special Reference to Malpa

Landslides have a very old history in Uttarakhand. Landslides are the part of a more general erosional or surfacial process known as mass wasting which is simply the down slopemovement of earth or surface material due to gravity. The term landslide is not new to this region. Uttarakhand is one of the most landslide pron regions in the world. A Malpa landslide occurred on 18^th August during 00:30 to 03:00 AM. This devastated landslide took lives of more than two hundred persons along with sixty Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims. The whole Malpa village lost its very existence due to this landslide tragedy. The sixty members of the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims lost their lives.In the economic loss the camp and residences of KMVN, the material and the minimum permitted amount of 500 dollars for payment to Chinese agency of the pilgrims was destroyed in the debris. Around fifty mules costing Rs 10-12 thousand each were dead, which had been the only source of livelihood for their owners. They earn about Rs 200-250 per day during the pilgrimage only and utilize the earnings for the whole year. The local residents of that area, who lost their lives, were mostly young and the earning members of their family. That is well known that the natural disasters cannot be avoided but all possible attempts to mitigate its affects should be made timely. The lesson learnt from Malpa landslide stresses upon the utilization of these experiences in future to mitigate the landslides.