A landslide is the unsuspected movement of rock, soil, and debris down a slope. It occurs when the stability of a hill or mountain is disturbed, causing the land to give way under the pull of gravity. Landslides can be triggered by implicit factors such as distressful rainfall, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or the sloping weathering of rocks.
Human activities like deforestation, road construction, and mining often make slopes further fragile, increasing the risk. In India, landslides are near standard in the Himalayan and Northeastern states, the Western Ghats, and parts of the Nilgiris. Regions with offensive terrain and peaky rainfall are particularly vulnerable. During the monsoon, lost downpours saturate the soil, reducing its strength and leading to slope failure. Flash floods or cloudbursts can worsen the situation, washing away silver hillsides in minutes.
The impact of a landslide can be devastating. Homes, roads, and railways are often buried under debris, cutting off villages and towns from cardinal supplies. Landslides can block rivers, creating insane dams that may burst and trigger flash floods downstream. The human toll is significant, with loss of life, displacement of families, and destruction of farmland.
Predicting landslides in the present day is done through tools like satellite mapping and rainfall monitoring assist in identifying discriminatory zones. Awareness, punctual evacuation, and stricter land utilization planning are common sense and cardinal to reducing risks in wide open regions.
Continuous heavy rainfall in Uttarakhand has claimed at least seven lives, triggering landslides, house collapses, and flash flood-like situations across several districts. In Almora, house collapses and debris flows led to multiple casualties, while falling boulders and landslides blocked over 170 roads, including major national highways and the Dehradun-Mussoorie route. Swollen rivers like the Gola, Kosi, and Shipra have prompted evacuations along riverbanks. Relief and rescue teams, including the SDRF, are conducting operations as the Public Works Department works to clear blocked routes. With orange and yellow alerts issued for districts like Nainital, Tehri, and Dehradun, schools have been ordered shut across five districts.
A reporting team at Ground Zero in Dungay Bazaar, Nepal, captures the devastation caused by catastrophic floods and landslides. Heavy debris, collapsed multi-storey buildings, and buried petrol pumps have blocked pathways, turning the bustling market into ruins. Local residents recount their terrifying experience as sudden torrents of white water and massive boulders washed away entire structures within seconds. An eyewitness revealed that people had virtually no time to escape, describing the horrific ordeal as something straight out of a disaster movie, while fears remain that many victims were buried under the rubble.
Severe flash floods and landslides triggered by an ice and rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border have caused widespread devastation across Nepal, impacting regions including Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Chitwan, and Trishuli.
A massive flash flood triggered by landslides and seismic activity has caused widespread devastation across Nepal’s Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Bhote Koshi regions, sweeping away villages, bridges and critical infrastructure. The disaster destroyed the Kerung border customs office, Langtang Khola Hydropower project and around 40 km of the road connecting Kathmandu with Rasuwagadhi. Authorities have reported 95 deaths, while more than 400 people remain missing, including around 60 hydropower project employees. More than 130 Indian tourists on the Mansarovar Yatra and 80 people linked to the Isha Foundation, including 77 Kailash pilgrims and three volunteers, are also untraceable following flooding at Gyirong and Timure. Prime Minister Balen Shah has mobilised the Army, police and other security forces for rescue operations. India has sent 10 tonnes of humanitarian aid through an IAF C-130J aircraft. In India, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are closely monitoring river levels, with NDRF and SDRF teams deployed in Maharajganj, Kushinagar, West Champaran and Gopalganj.
Heavy rain triggered shooting stones along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) near Trishul Morh in Ramban, damaging several vehicles and disrupting traffic. Authorities have already ordered highway closures at multiple locations due to landslides and continuous shooting stones, while commuters have been urged to avoid travel.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay will visit Karur on Friday, his first since assuming office, and will hand over job letters to stampede victim families affected by the 2025 stampede and launch a major factory project.
This news broadcast covers monsoon impacts across India, including 354 percent excess rainfall in Uttarakhand that triggered landslides and closed 187 roads, alongside a landslide in Wayanad, Kerala, which claimed five lives.
In an exclusive interview with India Today, Dr Roxy Mathew Koll, one of India's leading climate scientists from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, discussed the severe weather events impacting the country.
The big talking point of this episode of News Today is the monsoon mayhem in Mumbai and across Western India.
As the Ram Mandir donation probe intensifies, former General Secretary of the Ram Temple Trust, Champat Rai, has been questioned by the police in connection with the case.
A student from Meerut, who missed qualifying for the JEE Advanced by two marks, has been selected as a scientist at ISRO.
Politics has intensified over the MEA's clarification that a passport by itself isn't the conclusive proof of Indian citizenship.
On this Special Report, the focus is on the critical environmental challenges facing India as it enters 2026. The report highlights the growing conflict between political interests and ecological preservation, questioning if clean air and water will remain elusive dreams. It details alarming incidents from late 2025, including a deadly fire at a Goa nightclub built in a no-development zone and severe pollution in Delhi that marred a visit by football legend Lionel Messi. The programme also covers the public outcry over mining in the Aravalli Hills and the subsequent Supreme Court intervention. As the speaker notes, 'India lacks a cohesive and empowered green policy that its politicians adhere to.' The report concludes with a call for a unified political will to tackle climate change and ensure a sustainable future.
The concerns over the Aravallis are only the latest wake-up call for India's growing insensitivity to environmental concerns, or at least the government of India's growing insensitivity.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra raised safety concerns regarding the Chandigarh-Shimla highway during her speech in Lok Sabha and sought an appointment with Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari to discuss highway issues in her Wayanad constituency as well.
Speaking to India Today, Congress MP from Telangana, Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, criticizes the 15-day Winter Session of Parliament as insufficient for 543 MPs to voice their concerns. He highlights the opposition's intent to discuss the 'Special Intensive Revision' (SIRR) of voter rolls and the internal security implications of the recent car blast at the Red Fort in Delhi. Reddy also points to urgent climate issues, mentioning floods and landslides affecting states from Himachal Pradesh to Tamil Nadu. He questions the government's willingness to run the House democratically, stating, 'They want to run the house according to their will and wish.'
In this Special Report, India Today Global Editor Pranay Upadhyay details the evacuation of over 400 Indians from Sri Lanka following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwa (referred to as Deewa in the transcript). Upadhyay confirms, 'The Government of India via the Indian Mission in Colombo has assured that any Indian who is in distress... will be safely evacuated.' The transcript highlights that the Indian Air Force deployed C-130J and IL-76 aircraft for the operation. Additionally, the report notes that 12 people have been killed and 218 are missing in the island nation due to floods and landslides.
In a special report on the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka, India Today Correspondent Ashutosh Mishra provides live updates from the ground. The cyclone has claimed at least 40 lives, with landslides and floods wreaking havoc across the island nation. Mishra states, 'The situation as far as the island nation is concerned is unprecedented.' The report highlights that flights to Sri Lanka may be diverted to Trivandrum or Cochin in India. Additionally, the Indian naval ships INS Vikrant and INS Udaygiri are docked in Colombo for the International Fleet Review, with India offering assistance for relief operations. President Anurag Kumar Dissanayake has held critical meetings to address the crisis.
This special report covers the catastrophic landfall of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa in southwestern Jamaica, bringing record-breaking 185 mph winds and widespread destruction. . The Jamaican energy minister has stated that 'a third of the island is experiencing power cuts and citizens have been asked to brace for things to get significantly worse'. The U.S. National Hurricane Center has called it one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record, with officials fearing it could become the worst natural disaster in the nation's history. . The government has issued mass evacuation orders and opened over 800 shelters as the storm causes catastrophic flash flooding and deadly landslides. . At least seven deaths have been reported in the Caribbean. .
This special report focuses on Hurricane Melissa, a catastrophic Category 5 storm making landfall in Jamaica and threatening eastern Cuba. The U.S. National Hurricane Center has issued warnings about the storm, which is expected to be the most powerful to hit the island since record-keeping began in 1851. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness warned, 'There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5.' The storm has already been blamed for seven deaths in the northern Caribbean as it intensified, drawing energy from unusually warm ocean waters. Authorities have opened nearly 900 shelters and are urging residents to evacuate as the hurricane is predicted to cause life-threatening flash floods, landslides, and widespread damage. The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron has been flying through the storm to gather crucial data for forecasters.
