Human Responses to Landslide Hazards and Environmental Changes in the Central Hill Country of Sri Lanka

Abstract

A landslide is a downslope gravitational movement of rock, earth, or antificial fill. The movement may be a slide, flow, or fall, acting singly or together (Simonett, 1968). Landslide may be induced by natural agencies such as heavy such rain or earthquake or it may be caused by human interference with slope stability (Whittow, 1984). Among the natural hazards, as earthquakes, seismic sea waves, volcanic eruptions, tropical cyclones, monsoon storms, tornadoes, thunderstorms, sea fogs, sea ice, and iceberg drift, landslides are least documented and researched. This could be because they are restricted to small areas or because no adequate statistics are available (WMNH, 1988; Fig. 1). However, the extreme rainfall intensities, thunder and lightning, and downslope movement of rocks, debris, or earth associated with landslides can damage the natural environment as well as destroy life and property within a short period of time.