The Union Minister of Coal and Mines inaugurated the National Landslide Forecasting Centre at GSI, Dharitri Complex, Salt Lake City, Kolkata yesterday. He also launched the Geo-Indication Web Portal and Landslide Mobile App. Shri Janardan Prasad, Director General, GSI and other senior officials of the organization were present at the event apart from dignitaries from various disaster management agencies and stakeholder organizations.
NLFC is a pioneering initiative aimed at reducing landslide hazard in India. Soon after its inauguration, residents of Kalimpong, Darjeeling and Nilgiris districts will benefit from live forecast reports to be shared with them from 20 July 2024. It will issue early warning bulletins for all landslide-prone states in due course, operationalise regional Landslide Early Warning Systems (LEWS) across the country by 2030. Equipped with advanced technology, NLFC will provide early information to local administration and communities, update the inventory of landslides and integrate real-time rainfall and slope instability data to enhance forecast accuracy.
The launch of the Bhusanket web portal is a major step towards disaster risk reduction. This web portal will facilitate dissemination of relevant data and information on landslide hazards, introducing short-range and medium-range landslide forecasting in the country. Integrated with the Bhusanket web portal, the user-friendly Landslide mobile app will enable quick dissemination of daily landslide forecasts and allow stakeholders to share and update spatial and temporal information on landslide events. The app is available on the Bhusanket web portal and will soon be available on Google Play Store as well.
The inauguration of the NLFC, and the launch of the Geosignaling web portal and Landslide mobile app, are landmark achievements for GSI and evidence of its commitment to advancing disaster preparedness and safety in India. The event underscores GSI's ongoing efforts to leverage technology and innovation for the country's sustainable development, resource management and disaster mitigation.