Evaluation of landslide hazard and its impacts on hilly environment of the Nilgiris District - a geospatial approach

Thennavan, Edison; Pattukandan Ganapathy, Ganapathy

doi:10.1186/s40677-019-0139-3

Geoenvironmental Disasters

Table 1 Historical landslides and the damage consequence in the Nilgiris District

From: Evaluation of landslide hazard and its impacts on hilly environment of the Nilgiris District - a geospatial approach

Sl.No	Year	Places	Damage to Infrastructure	Damage to Houses	Death Reported
1	1824	Avalanches slide- Sliced a part of Kudikkadu hills of Kundah area after 8 days of heavy rain, recorded by Harness, Baike and Benza	Yes	No	No
2	23rd October 1865	Worst Storm on record occurred around Ooty and Coonoor. Coonoor Railway station was covered with water up to five feet deep. In Ooty Lake water rose up to top of willow bound and threatened to breach it.	Yes	Yes	No
3	1881	Slides on Kothagiri – Mettupalayam and Coonoor Ghat Roads	Yes	Yes	No
4	November 1891	Storm caused many landslips on the Coonoor Ghat, and did great damage to the Kotagiri - Metuppalayam road. Affected traffic for a week after a record of 74 cm rain within a few days	Yes	Yes	No
5	December 1902	Twenty one inches of rain (three times the average amount) fell in that month in Coonoor, and at Kotagiri 24 in. (six times the average amount) was received, of which 8.45 in. fell in a single night. The Coonoor railway was blocked for a month the old and new Coonoor railway was blocked for a month the old and new Coonoor ghat roads for nearly as long; and all the traffic of the eastern side of the plateau was thrown upon the Kotagiri ghat, which was itself in a perilous condition -slips having occurred throughout and being serious in six places out of its twenty one miles length.	Yes	Yes	No
6	4th October 1905	6.8 in. of rain fell at Coonoor in three hours and the Coonoor river and its effluents came down in heavy and sudden floods, the former sweeping right over the parapet of the bridge near the railway-station. The families of the station staff had to be rescued by breaking open the back windows of their quarters with crowbars.	Yes	Yes	No
7	1926	Subsidence of more than a metere near Katteri Railway Station and slips near 16 km and 2.35 km stones on the railway track	Yes	No	No
8	1927	Debris fall near Adderly and Runnymede railway stations	Yes
9	July 1952	Rock Slides along Kundah Penstock	No	No	No
10	November 1958	Rock Slides along Kundah Penstock	No	No	No
11	1961	Slide on the left flank of Porthimund dam	Yes	No	No
12	1967	Slide on the left flank of Emerald valley	No	No	No
13	5th November 1978	323 mm of rain was recorded at Ooty of which 243 mm was during the night-between 5.00 pm of 4th and 8.00 am of 5th. Many people were killed in Ooty on account of houses collapses, landslides and drowning. Reports were also received regarding the causalities due to landslides and floods in Kookalthorai; Madithorai; Adashola and Kallatti areas of Uthagamandalam Taluk and Manthada of Coonoor Taluk.	Yes	Yes	Yes
14	November 1979	Heavy rainfall started from 12th November 1979 and the highest rain fall was 114.5 mm at Kodanad. On 13th it was 149.4 mm at Coonoor and 169.9 mm at Kodanad. On the 15th night heavy landslide had occurred at Doddacombai, on 16th night there was heavy rain at Coonoor resulting in washing away of one woman and 2 Children. The rainfall recorded at Coonoor and Kodanad was 145.2 mm and 142.2 mm respectively. On 19th there was heavy landslide of 100 yards in width and about 1.00 km in length in Selas of Ketti Village of Coonoor Taluk resulting in filling up of a Valley of 30′ - 50′. The heaviest rainfall of the day was 187.6 mm at Coonoor. On 20-11-1979 also, there was heavy rain of 102.2 mm at Coonoor and a heavy landslide at Selas in which a house was completely buried in the debris along with 2 women and 3 children. The rainfall recorded on that day at Kotagiri, Kodanad and Kundah was 90.4 mm, 99.8 mm and 78.0 mm respectively. There was heavy rainfall of 71.0 mm at Devala on 21st. On 28–11-79 also there was heavy rain of 144.2 mm at Coonoor.	Yes	Yes	Yes
15	25th October 1990	The North East Monsoon was heavy and there was a ‘cloud burst’. More than 35 families were buried alive in a place called Geddai.	Yes	Yes	Yes
16	November 1993	There was another ‘cloud burst’ on 11-11-1993 in the upper reach of Marappalam of Coonoor Taluk, about 18 huts situated below the road and washing away Coonoor MTP ghat Road for about 1½ k.m. The Road traffic was suspended for more than a fort night. 12 persons lost their live and 15 persons missing 21 passengers were washed away with two buses. An important highway, sheared stretched of rail road for about 300 m. Out of 408 landslides were reported among those Marappalam is severe one.	Yes	Yes	Yes
17	November 1995	Debris flow washed away culvert and caused damage to NH 67 road near Pudukkadu Village.	Yes	NA	No
18	11th December 1998	Due to continuous rain fall, one big boulder weighing about 20 m tonnes fell an the Coonoor Mettupalayam main road and the road was closed for traffic, the rock was blasted and earth slips were removed and traffic was resumed from 14 to 12-98.	Yes	Yes	No
19	December 2001	Due to continuous rainfall, two massive landslides occurred near Pudukadu on the Coonoor-Mettupalayam high way damaging two bridges resulting in the complete closure of traffic. In addition damage was also caused to the railway track between Coonoor – Mettupalayam. Bridge No.55 near hill grove railway station was completely damaged and Bridge No.56 was also damaged.	Yes	Yes	No
20	November 2006	Consequent upon continuous heavy rains in the Nilgiri Hills, numerous landslides were reported to have occurred at the early hours on 14-11-2006 killing one and injuring three persons and disrupting traffic in NH - 67 and blocking of Mountain Rail track between Mettupalayam and Coonoor (nilgiris.nic.in).	Yes	Yes	No
21	15 November 2009	About 1100 landslides/landslips taken away 45 lives. Heavy damage on houses.	Yes	Yes	Yes
22	28 November 2011	Below Sathya Sai Nagar, Ooty-Coonoor national highway	Yes	No	No
23	10 September 2012	Devala, Gudalur, Transportation got affected	Yes	No	No
24	22October 2012	Ooty to Coonoor railway line got affected	Yes	No	No
25	25 November 2013	Heavy Rain caused landslips	Yes	No	No
26	01 October 2014	Landslips at Manjur Aavukkal	Yes	No	No
27	21 January 2014	Landslips at Katteri, Paikkara, Coonoor	Yes	No	No
28	21 October 2014	Landslips at Gandhipuram, Coonoor	Yes	No	No
29	22 October 2014	Houses damaged by landslips at Anbu Anna Colony, Ooty	No	Yes	No
30	24 October 2014	Landslip at Railway lineAruvankadu, Ketty	Yes	No	No
31	8th November 2015	Landslip at Kallar – Adderley, Railway Line	Yes	No	No
32	13th November 2015	Rockfall at Manthada, Ooty – Coonoor Road	Yes	No	No
33	15th November 2015	Landslip at Kaikatti Maniapuram, Kolakambai	No	No	No
34	20th November 2015	Landslip at Manjur Kinnakorai Road / Aravankadu – Coonoor Mettupalayam Road	Yes	No	No
35	21st November 2015	Six landslips at Velankanni Nagar, Coonoor Mettupalayam, Burliar Road	Yes	No	No
36	22nd November 2015	Landslip caused wall collapse in Yellanahalli – Coonoor Road	Yes	Yes	No
37	22nd November 2015	Landslip at M. Kaikatti Pandian Nagar, Kotagiri – A female injured	No	Yes	Yes

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