The chaotic scenes of rubber trees toppled over in a heavy gush of mud and water, a common occurrence along the foothills of the Western Ghats during monsoon, may soon be a thing of the past, thanks to a novel initiative by the Rubber Board.
With a view to minimising the impact of landslips on the natural rubber plantations, the Rubber Board is all set to unveil a Web portal classifying the rubber plantations across the State based on their susceptibility to landslips. The classification, according to officials, will help the agency recommend adoption of suitable agricultural practices and cultural operations to each plantation, based on its vulnerability.
Tools used
K.N. Raghavan, Executive Director, Rubber Board, said the delineation of plantations into low, medium and high landslip risk zones was done using satellite-derived maps of rubber plantations and the district-wise landslip susceptibility zones developed by the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority. “Multiple databases like topographical maps, remote sensing data, ground truth and geo-technical investigations have been integrated into this mapping,” he said.
Occupying more than 22% of the gross cropped area of the State, rubber plantations are mostly grown on the undulating and sloping terrains on the foothills of Western Ghats that are increasingly becoming vulnerable to landslips.
After Nilambur landslip
Triggered by heavy rainfall, the hilly regions of the State witnessed at least two massive landslips in the last few years. The proposal to classify the plantations into zones was taken up in the aftermath of a massive landslip in Nilambur during the 2019 floods.
While landslip is a natural disaster that cannot be predicted with any degree of absolute certainty, science-based precautions can empower local communities to remain vigilant, reducing the risk of occurrence of a landslip and its impact on people and property.
