Mitigation

Mitigation is about acting before a landslide happens — reducing the damage it can cause by changing how we use the land. The central idea is that landslides are not purely natural events; human decisions about where and how we build, farm, and live can make them far more likely. So mitigation means making those decisions wisely, zone by zone, because what works in one region may not work in another.

The book's first and most important principle is that measures must be area-specific. A blanket national policy is useless; the right response depends on local terrain, rainfall, soil, and land-use patterns. Within this framework, the book lists what not to do, and then what to do.

Restrictions and controls — the "don'ts":

• Restrict construction and developmental activity — building roads, dams, and other infrastructure in landslide-prone areas should be limited or banned outright.
• Limit agriculture to valleys and moderate slopes — farming on steep slopes destabilises the soil; agriculture should be confined to safer, gentler terrain.
• Control large settlements in high-vulnerability zones — towns and cities should not be allowed to grow unchecked in areas known to be at high risk.

These restrictions alone are not enough. The book stresses that they must be supplemented by positive actions — constructive measures that actively reduce landslide risk rather than merely avoiding it.

Positive actions — the "do's":

• Large-scale afforestation — planting trees on a big scale binds the soil with roots, reducing erosion and slope instability.
• Construction of bunds — small embankments or barriers built across slopes to slow down and reduce the flow of water, which is a major trigger for landslides. …