The Landslide Blog is written by Dave Petley, who is widely recognized as a world leader in the study and management of landslides.
As loyal readers of this blog are aware, I have long had a particular interest in landslides in Nepal. This is partly because of my long term research links to that country, and partly because of the heavy burden that mass movements impose there.
Nepal is very prone to landslides, in part because of its natural setting (steep terrain, monsoon rainfall, high levels of tectonic activity). This is being exacerbated by the impacts of both poorly planned development and climate change, most notably increases in peak rainfall intensity. Thus, Nepal is a poster child for a situation that is occurring more widely.
Landslides in Nepal are largely driven by monsoon rainfall, and of course at this time of year, the SW monsoon is at full strength. I’ve mapped below all of the fatal landslides that I’ve recorded in Nepal in 2024 to date – the final locations are not definitive, but this is an interesting first pass:-
The distribution of fatal landslides in Nepal in 2024 to 17 July. Author’s own data – please acknowledge if reused.
In total to 17 July I have recorded 38 fatal landslides in 2024, which have killed 135 people in total. The cumulative total through the year is shown in the graph below:-
The cumulative total number of fatal landslides, and the resultant fatalities, in Nepal in 2024 to 17 July. Author’s own data – please acknowledge if reused.
The large jump in the number of fatalities was caused by the landslide that swept two buses into the river on 12 July. The graph clearly shows the impact of the monsoon, with a dramatic increase in the number of fatalities from the middle of June. Before this, the landslides were often caused by poor construction rather than rainfall.
The map shows that, to date, the landslides have been clustered towards the centre and the east of the country, with the west having lower incidence. This is likely to reflect the rainfall pattern.
There are many more weeks of the SW monsoon left in 2024, but the early part of the wet season has imposed a heavy burden on Nepal.
Text © 2023. The authors. CC BY-NC-ND 3.0Except where otherwise noted, images are subject to copyright. Any reuse without express permission from the copyright owner is prohibited.
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