Marginalised households are often left with little choice of where they build: Aaron Opdyke

The catastrophic landslides in Kerala’s Wayanad have shaken India and even the world. Reminiscent of the 2013 Kedarnath Tragedy at the other end of the country in Uttarakhand, Wayanad has once again brought natural disasters triggered by extreme weather events into focus.

Aaron Opdyke from the School of Civil Engineering, University of Sydney in Australia is an expert on natural disasters and humanitarian aid. 

His area of expertise includes natural hazards (floods, earthquakes, typhoons/cyclones); humanitarian organisation responses; planning for longer term recovery; infrastructure and housing/shelter.

Down To Earth spoke to Dr Opdyke and asked him about housing and rehabilitation in landslide-prone areas. Edited excerpts:

Q. What should be the nature of housing in an area which is landslide-prone?

A. Designing safe housing in landslide-prone areas presents significant challenges. We often see heavier structures, such as those made of concrete and masonry, increasing the potential for slope failures. Too often, we end up creating disaster risk through our decisions of how to build. While we can sometimes build with lighter materials, siting the location of housing is often the most effective way to risk. It is common to avoid building on obviously risky areas, such as steep slopes, but landslide runouts can also impact locations less visible. 

Q. How can people in the Global South, who are very often poor or marginalised and live in areas which are of this type, arrange for them? Are there any substitutes which they can use?

A. Marginalised households are often left with little choice of where they build. Not uncommonly, this ends up being hazard-prone land. Reducing this risk often requires intervention from governments to address deeper-seated systematic vulnerabilities. However, households can recognise the ways that surrounding human activities can increase the potential for landslides to occur. For example, in Indonesia in 2018, irrigation practices saturated soils which resulted in devastating landslides that killed more than 4,000. Eliminating landslide risk is not always possible, but households can and should take proactive steps to learn about the potential for landslides around their homes, such as through publicly available landslide hazard maps, where available. 

Q. From an administrative perspective, what should be the policy of the government in landslide-prone areas? Again, what should Global South governments do to see to it that relief can reach such areas immediately in the event of a landslide?

A. Policies to govern landslide risk need to be connected to local realities. Foremost, there is a need for national governments to support their local counterparts and listen to their needs. In terms of assistance after landslides, this listening should inform and mobilise people, equipment, and resources that are appropriate to what is being requested by communities. 

Q. What about long-term rehabilitation policy for landslide-prone areas? Should residents be permanently relocated?

A. There is a tendency for governments to immediately relocate those who reside on hazard-prone land. While this can be effective at reducing exposure of communities, it is important that that communities’ voices are at the centre of these decisions. Efforts to relocate communities can distance communities from livelihood, education, and social opportunities which needed to be considered in any decisions to move people. 

Q. What should governments keep in mind vis-à-vis landslides in a warming world?

A. Globally, we can largely expect the occurrence of landslides to increase under climate change. Governments should be investing more resources in mapping landslide prone areas, but also communicating these risks to exposed communities.