NITK uses machine learning to predict landslides in Western Ghats

Key Highlights

• The Western Ghats account for nearly 60% of reported landslides in India, with most triggered by intense and prolonged rainfall.
• Recent disasters, including the July 2024 Wayanad landslide, have highlighted the limitations of existing warning systems and the need for more accurate, site-specific alerts.
• At present, landslide warnings in India are largely based on rainfall thresholds, where alerts are issued when rainfall crosses certain intensity or duration limits.
• These systems, while useful, often fail to account for what is happening inside the slope itself.
• As a result, they can generate frequent false alarms or miss impending failures when soil conditions deteriorate even under moderate rainfall.