Automatic weather stations to detect landslides in Meenachil river basin

Cusat, IIST, and ERRC collaborate on a project to create an automated warning system for landslides in Kerala.

Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat), Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), and Environmental Resources Research Centre (ERRC) in Thiruvananthapuram have joined hands for a social responsibility project titled ‘Creating an automated warning system for landslides in the landslide susceptible zones of the Meenachil river basin, Kerala’.

As part of the multi-institutional project, three automatic weather stations (AWS) have been installed with the support of NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), Indian Space Research Organisation in Theekoy, Poonjar Thekkekara, and Munnilavu panchayats in the Meenachil river basin, according to a communication

S. Abhilash, Director of the Advanced Centre for Atmospheric Radar Research at Cusat, said that the overall objective of the pilot project was to develop and test the concept of a reliable and robust monitoring and alerting system for detecting landslides.

The release said that a proof-of-concept project would be implemented in the selected study area in the Western Ghats region, which is vulnerable to landslides during the monsoon season.

In the context of increasing landslides and localised floods caused by extreme rainfall, the pilot project aims to develop and test the operational feasibility of a reliable and robust observation and early warning system with community participation. The project is being implemented in collaboration with Meenachil River Protection Committee, a people’s collective in the Meenachil river basin, it said.