It is not as though human beings have been unaware of where to construct their houses and other important buildings. They took into account many factors based on, in some cases, centuries of past experience. There have been numerous occasions when entire civilisations, cities and settlements have been wiped out due to extreme events such as volcanic eruptions or sudden changes in weather conditions. The ‘Harrapan’ civilisation, a well-developed and organised urban society, is believed also to have become victim to persistent drought. It is from such experiences that humanity learned how to build in a way that could withstand the forces of nature. These lasted even after the disappearance of the societies that constructed them.
The impact of weather, topographical conditions and unpredictable events continues to affect humanity despite the lessons learned. This is because of population growth which has forced humanity to compromise on safety and construct on terrain that is already known to be dangerous. In the Himalayas, for instance, construction was done well above the rivers and on plateaus and uplands with rocky foundations that would not suffer landslides. Such constructions can be seen even today, standing firm on their foundations. However, traditional wisdom gave way to convenience and people settled along roads constructed beside rivers, quite often on slopes comprising mostly soil and rock. These are known to be landslide prone. Things have been made worse by using construction techniques more suited to the plains. The advantages of traditional architecture have been surrendered for the sake of greater ‘comfort’.
The landslides in Kerala’s Wayanad have brought the nation’s attention once again to this danger, even though loss of human and animal life is an almost daily occurrence in the mountains during the rainy season. It is not as though scientific understanding of the challenges is lacking, or that this cannot be transferred to the government agencies tasked with regulating construction activity. It is just that the pressure of population is such that unsafe land continues to be occupied. And, of course, climate change has further aggravated the intensity of the weather in small areas during very brief periods, with devastating effect. It is important, therefore, to consider the problem from a much larger perspective than is normally adopted. However, it also needs strict regulation at the ground level, without which all other efforts would prove futile. India has developed excellent skills in response capability, it also needs to anticipate better to deal with the situation.
