• The government has approved signing of a pact between the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and the Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection of the National Research Council, Italy for a collaboration on landslide forecasting and early warning.

• The go-ahead for the pact was given by the Union Cabinet last week.

• This partnership aims to enhance the knowledge and acquire skills in landslide forecasting and early warning through collaborative research.

• It is important to enhance and scale up the country’s Landslide Early Warning Systems (LEWS) to international standards, enabling better prediction and mitigation of landslide-related damages, and to overcome the situation like Wayanad landslide in Kerala.

• The Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection (CNR-IRPI), Italy, is a leading institution in developing regional LEWS models, featuring granular spatial and temporal resolutions, including nowcasting capabilities.

• The tie-up will help integrate GSI’s landslide inventory, susceptibility, and forecast maps with PM Gati Shakti, enhancing resilience and reducing vulnerability in fragile hilly terrains.

• The LEWS will act as a critical tool to secure lives and prevent destruction in hill areas, facilitating sustainable development and environmental protection.

• Plans are in place to expand the forecasting system to include more districts, with improved spatial and temporal resolution, across highly landslide-prone regions.

• GSI has set up a state-of-the-art National Landslide Forecasting (NLFC) facility in Kolkata to develop and operationalise the regional LEWS in all landslide-prone states.

• At present, NLFC is providing live forecast reporting on a daily basis in Kalimpong and Darjeeling districts of West Bengal and Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu. Along with that, ground testing of bulletin is in progress in 13 districts. 

Geological Survey of India

• The Geological Survey of India (GSI) was set up in 1851 primarily to find coal deposits for the Railways. Over the years, GSI has not only grown into a repository of geo-science information required in various fields in the country but has also attained the status of a geo-scientific organisation of international repute. 

• Its main functions relate to creating and updating of national geoscientific information and mineral resource assessment. These objectives are achieved through ground surveys, air-borne and marine surveys, mineral prospecting and investigations, multi-disciplinary geoscientific, geo-technical, geo-environmental and natural hazards studies, glaciology, seismotectonic study and carrying out fundamental research.

• GSI’s core competence in survey and mapping is continuously enhanced through accretion, management, coordination and utilisation of spatial databases (including those acquired through remote sensing). 

• GSI uses the latest computer-based technologies for dissemination of geoscientific information and spatial data, through cooperation and collaboration with other stakeholders in the geo-informatics sector.

• Headquartered in Kolkata, GSI is an attached office to the ministry of mines and has regional offices in Lucknow, Jaipur, Nagpur, Hyderabad and Shillong. GSI also has unit offices in almost all states of the country.

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