What Caused The landslide In Irshalwadi In Maharashtra?

The landslide on a hilltop in Irshalwadi village in Raigad district in Maharashtra after torrential rains in the area killed at least 16 while burying several houses.

The rescue and search operation at the hamlet resumed on Friday morning. The landslide occurred around 11 pm on Wednesday at the tribal village, situated on a hill slope, under Khalapur tehsil of the coastal district, around 80 km from Mumbai.

There are 228 residents in the village and the bodies of 16 have been recovered, while 93 residents have been traced, officials said.

However, a total of 119 villagers are yet to be traced. They include those who had gone out of the village to attend a marriage or for rice plantation work. Of the nearly 50 houses in the village, the landslide flattened 17, officials said.

What Caused The landslide In Irshalwadi In Maharashtra?

The tragedy was triggered by a sudden cloudburst, which unleashed an unprecedented 400 mm rainfall within a mere 24 hours. This deluge eventually caused the entire hilltop to collapse onto the village, claiming lives instantaneously, experts say.

Environmentalists express deep concerns over the recurring soil erosion in the area, primarily caused by the lack of vegetation and ongoing construction, quarrying, and digging activities in the vicinity. These factors have made the terrains across the Sahyadri mountain range highly vulnerable to such heavy rains, posing a significant threat to the lives of people residing at the foothills.

This is not the first instance of such an incident in the Western Ghats. In 2014, a landslide occurred in the Malin village in the Ambegaon tehsil of the Pune district killed 151.

In 2021, Taliye village in Mahad tehsil of the district had witnessed a devastating landslide following heavy rains, which claimed the lives of 84 persons, PTI reported.

In fact, as many as 302 people have died due to landslides in Raigad district of Maharashtra in the last 17 years, according to a survey of landslide-prone areas conducted by the disaster management department.

In 2005, 84 villages in Raigad were expected to be affected by landslides. In 2015, this figure rose to 103, while this year (2022) the number of villages likely to be hit by landslides is pegged at 211, the report said.

Taliye, Jui and Dasgaon villages in the district were completely destroyed by landslides over the past few years, it said.

Environmental activists blame uncontrolled quarrying for these disasters. Hence, they want an immediate prohibition on all quarries operating across the hills and a thorough examination of the eco-sensitive zones in the Raigad and Thane districts.

NatConnect Foundation and Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishthan (SEAP) highlighted the serious consequences of frequent high-intensity blasts, as they significantly weaken the soil on the hill slopes, increasing the risk of landslides. In an email addressed to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the organizations stressed the urgency of taking necessary measures to safeguard the region's ecology and prevent potential disasters, according to a report in The Times Of India.

"We, environment lovers, have been cautioning against blasting of hills, deforestation and unregulated development on the hills across the State, but in vain," NatConnect director B N Kumar told the daily.

According to Padmabhushan, award-winning Indian ecologist Madhav Gadgil, the complete lack of focus on afforestation to prevent soil erosion, ongoing quarrying activities, and the extensive development of roads and infrastructure by cutting into hillsides, collectively render these areas highly susceptible to heavy rainfall.

Archana Godbole, the director of Applied Environmental Research Foundation (AERF), added that the depletion of tree covers exacerbates the situation. When large volumes of rainwater pour down in a short period, the reduced tree cover fails to provide sufficient pathways for the water to recede naturally. Consequently, this adds additional pressure on the hills, leading to an increased risk of landslides.

KS Hosalikar, additional director general of meteorology and head of climate research and services at IMD Pune, claims that heavy rains for six to eight days might lead the entire hilltop to crash down.

"Here capacity to hold the water on the hillock was over. The precipitation led to very high runoff that even the soil could not hold itself giving way to gravity. So intense rain pressure was the trigger," he told while talking about the Irshalwadi landslide. "Geographically entire Sahyadri mountain range is prone to very vigorously active heavy monsoons, especially the Konkan ghats. Every monsoon most of the region gets red alert. Other than three-digit rainfall over the last seven-eight days, Raigd's rainfall stood highest in the country today at around 400 mm. Tomorrow also there is a red alert. When such a gross or cumulative impact occurs, the entire hilly range gets affected," said Hosalikar.

Green groups are urging the government to conduct thorough assessments of all sites in Navi Mumbai, Raigad, Thane, Uran, and other quarry locations. They emphasize the importance of examining the seismic impact resulting from blasts at all hills and construction sites, including the Navi Mumbai International Airport. Taking these precautionary measures will help ensure the safety and environmental stability of these regions.