Rainfall – Induced Landslides in Kerala, India: A General Review

Abstract

Landslides are a profoundly upsetting and devastating natural catastrophe. In comparison to previous decades, landslides have been recorded to occur significantly more frequently worldwide in this decade. The landslide susceptibility map is crucial for identifying landslide hotspots in the study area, identifying different factors/parameters that affect the landslide and critically examining their involvement in landslide occurrences. The significance of rainfall patterns in initiating landslides has been widely acknowledged. In Kerala, it may be possible to understand the geographical patterns of landslide distribution by examining the hotspots for landslides that have been found using maps of landslide susceptibility. Due to the spatial issues of precipitation, the impacts were mostly concentrated along valleys in the study area's lower part. Furthermore, well-forested hillslopes were more prone to landslides, indicating that trees have a limited role in stabilising slopes during extreme rainfall events. The study is being done in response to the landslides that occurred in the state of Kerala, India, between 2018 and 2020. The review addresses the major physical causes of landslides in common and major cause of landslide in Kerala which is Rainfall - Induced landslides. The triggering and progression of rainfall-induced landslides are also reviewed in this review article. Keywords: landslide; rainfall-induced landslide; rainfall pattern; Kerala