GSI celebrates one year of NLFC with pledge to expand live landslide warnings | Hyderabad News – Times of India

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) on Friday marks the first anniversary of its National Landslide Forecasting Centre (NLFC) with a celebratory event at the Dharitri Building in Salt Lake Sector V, Kolkata. The occasion underscored a year of scientific innovation and critical early warning interventions in India’s most landslide-vulnerable regions.Starting July 20, residents and tourists travelling to Kalimpong, Darjeeling, and the Nilgiris will begin receiving live landslide forecast bulletins. This initiative aims to bolster community-level preparedness and significantly reduce casualties during the monsoon season.The anniversary event will be inaugurated by GSI Director General Asit Saha in the esteemed presence of Priyanka Singla, Special Secretary, West Bengal State Disaster Management Authority (WBSDMA), along with senior GSI officials and key stakeholders from across India’s disaster risk reduction ecosystem.Launched under the Ministry of Mines, the NLFC has quickly emerged as a cornerstone of India’s efforts in landslide hazard mitigation. Focusing on high-risk zones like the Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills and the Nilgiri range, the Centre integrates advanced modelling tools, real-time rainfall data, and slope instability monitoring to issue timely alerts.Over the past year, the NLFC has operationalized the Landslide Early Warning System (LEWS), issuing daily forecast bulletins across 21 districts in eight states—18 under experimental coverage and three fully operational.“To forecast is not just to predict, but to empower communities before disaster strikes,” said a senior GSI official, outlining the Centre’s ambition to extend LEWS coverage nationwide by 2030.To commemorate the milestone, GSI is hosting a national-level workshop in hybrid mode. Experts from NDMA, IMD, ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Centre, state governments, IITs, and academic institutions are convening to share insights on technology, success stories, and the path forward for landslide forecasting.The NLFC’s growing role reaffirms GSI’s commitment to a safer, more resilient India through scientific excellence and institutional collaboration.