Bioengineering: an Integrated Technique for Landslide Management: Applying Lessons from Varunavat Landslide in Garhwal Himalaya

Landslides are one of the catastrophic hazards that affect at least 15% land area of India exceeding 0.49 million km2. The Himalayan Mountains has been witnessing the furry of nature for a long time. Landslides are among one of the major and widely spread natural disasters that strike life and property almost perennially year after year. Large scale deforestation in recent decades has also disturbed the sensitive areas in the Himalayas. Concentration of human settlements and consequent logging, felling, grazing and occasional fires have reduced the forest area to a great extent The replacement of climax oak by pioneer pine has become a common and ever increasing phenomenon in Himalaya. The role of native vegetation is quite significant in prevention of landslides as well as for stabilizing the landslide. The present book embodies the bioengeinneing application and its role in mitigating and managing the landslide hazardous. The book has mainly emphasized on the bioengineering measures taken for recovery of catastrophic Varunavat Landslide, which took place on September 24th, 2003 in the Northern part of India and caused a massive socio-economic and ecological devastation.