Nilgiris faces high landslide risk, Geological Survey of India warns
Chennai: A new report by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has revealed that approximately 1,000 square kilometers of Tamil Nadu, primarily the Nilgiris district, faces a significant risk of landslides.
The mapping, which was part of a comprehensive assessment of landslide-prone areas across India, highlights the vulnerability of this region. According to a submission by the Ministry of Earth Sciences in Parliament, as cited by The New Indian Express on Friday, the total mapped area in Tamil Nadu spans 11,000 square kilometers. Of this, 8,000 square kilometers are classified as low-risk, 2,000 square kilometers as moderate-risk, and the remaining 1,000 square kilometers, including the Nilgiris, are categorised as high-risk.
The Nilgiris district has been specifically identified as one of India’s key landslide-prone regions. The GSI mapping, which covers 4.3 lakh square kilometers of hilly and mountainous areas across 19 states and Union Territories, includes critical regions such as the Himalayas, the north-eastern hill belts, and the Western Ghats.
Since this year’s monsoon season, based on a prototype of a regional Landslide Early Warning System developed for India, GSI has been providing operational and experimental landslide forecast bulletins for 21 districts in eight states, added the report.
Nilgiris is the only district from Tamil Nadu in the list. Other states on the list include West Bengal, Sikkim, Kerala, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Nagaland.
Nationally, the susceptibility mapping reveals key regional differences. States like Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and parts of the Western Ghats (Kerala and Maharashtra) show a higher proportion of land in the "high-risk" category. Conversely, states such as Assam, Tripura, and Meghalaya mostly fall under the "low-risk" category.
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Businessman burnt to death as moving car catches fire in Noida
Noida (PTI): A 46-year-old businessman was burnt to death after his moving car caught fire in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddha Nagar district, police said on Tuesday.
According to police, the victim was identified as Rajkumar Singhal, who was engaged in the paint business. The incident occurred late on Monday night near Sorkha village under the Sector 113 police station area.
Station House Officer Krishna Gopal Sharma said Singhal was driving towards Parthala Chowk when his vehicle suddenly caught fire for reasons yet to be ascertained.
Singhal was unable to get out of the car and died in the blaze, the SHO said.
Fire tenders reached the spot after receiving information, but the car had already been gutted, police said. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination and an investigation is underway.
Police suspect the presence of paint or other inflammable material in the car may have caused the fire to spread rapidly.
