Geological Survey of India: Building a Robust Landslide Warning System for Wayanad

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) is developing a landslide prediction model for Wayanad, Kerala. The GSI has started issuing experimental regional forecast bulletins to the State and District Disaster Management Authorities for ground testing since 2024. The model will undergo extensive testing for 4-5 years before being publicly available.

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) is currently developing a sophisticated landslide prediction model for Wayanad, Kerala. GSI officials disclosed that regional forecast bulletins are being issued on an experimental basis to state and district disaster authorities for feedback and validation.

These forecasts, based on data from the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD), are intended to establish landslide thresholds. Tragic landslides in Wayanad, caused by heavy rain, resulted in 195 deaths and nearly 200 people still missing.

The GSI stated that it would take 4-5 years of extensive ground testing before these systems could be made public. Meanwhile, similar systems have been operationalized in West Bengal's Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts and Tamil Nadu's Nilgiris, following successful experimental trials.