Landslide is a rapid movement of rock, soil, and vegetation down the slope under the influence of gravity. Though it is a common feature of both the Himalayan region and the Western Ghats, they differ in the following ways.
Causes--> Himalayan Region--> Western Ghats
1. INCIDENCES OF LANDSLIDES --> High to very high --> Modern to high
2. GEOMORPHIC FORMATION --> The Himalayan region is composed of sedimentary rocks which are more prone to denudation and erosion. --> The major part of Western Ghats is composed of
basalt rocks which shows great resistance to erosion and denudation.
3. EXOGENETIC FORCES --> Ganges, Indus, and Brahmaputra cause a large-scale erosion of the mountainous region which is also a cause of landslides. --> In the Western Ghats, perennial rivers are rare.
4. PLATE TECTONICS --> Himalayan region is tectonically active as the Indian Plate is moving towards the north. --> The Western Ghats are tectonically more stable as compared to the Himalaya.
5. FRAGILITY --> Himalayas are young, fragile mountains still growing, hence susceptible to natural landslides. --> Heavy mining activities in the western ghat region is a major factor leading to landslides.
6. ANTHROPOGENIC ACTIVITIES --> Anthropogenic factors in Himalayas
include, jhum cultivation, deforestation etc., leading to landslides. --> Anthropogenic activities gave rise to anomalous slopes, and due to gravitational pull and rain, the overlying material comes down.
7. HUMAN INTERFERENCE --> The development activities such as construction of roadways and haphazard urbanization ignoring the slope aspects aggravated the occurrence of landslides. --> Western Ghats is notified as Biodiversity
Hotspot, the human interference is less as
compared to the Himalayan region and less
prone to landslides.
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