BENGALURU: The entire country is shocked by the severe disaster in Kerala. In three villages of Wayanad district, more than 200 people have died. Similar massive landslides that have occurred in Karnataka so far have now raised concern over unregulated development in the sensitive Western Ghats.
Karnataka has witnessed 1,272 landslides in the last 10 years, which have resulted in 44 deaths. The border districts of Karnataka adjacent to Kerala have also seen a high number of landslides.
From 2009 to 2021, the number of landslide cases in district-wise in Karnataka are as follows: Uttara Kannada reported 439 cases, Shivamogga 356, Chikkamagaluru 193, Udupi 99, Dakshina Kannada 88, Kodagu 79, and Hassan reported 18 cases, totalling 1,272 cases.
The annual landslide cases in Karnataka between 2016 and 2021 are as follows: 125 cases in 2016, 219 in 2017, 461 in 2018 resulting in 26 deaths, 161 instances in 2019 resulting in 10 deaths, 264 in 2020 resulting in seven deaths, and 66 landslides in 2021 resulting in one death.