Based on high-resolution satellite images, response teams from National Aerospace and Space Administration (NASA) and various national and international universities as well as volunteer organisations helping to map the potential risks of landslides and landmass movement have identified over 3,000 landslides until May 9.

However, the Department of Water-Induced Disaster Prevention (DWIDP), the government authority responsible to come up with mitigation or control measures, has not even started mapping the occurrence of landslides so as to protect the vulnerable populations in future.

“We will mobilise our team to map the landslide and landmass incidents in the districts which are hit by earthquake soon. Then we will identify mitigation measures in areas where infrastructures and human settlements are high risk,” said Shanmukesh Chandra Amatya, a senior divisional hydrologist at the DWIDP.

“Our prime focus would be to make vulnerable communities aware of potential threats of landslides and help them to find safer areas during such incidents,” Amatya said. Asked about plans for helping vulnerable communities to move to safer areas, he said nothing has been planned so far. DWIDP officials also said that there has not been any direction from the government regarding the potential risks of landslides and large mass movements in the upcoming monsoon season.

“We lack budget to prepare urgent and short-term mitigation measures such as constructing retaining walls and gabion structures to prevent further landslides,” said Basanta Raj Adhikari, assistant professor with the Centre of Disaster Studies under the Institute of Engineering.

After the April 25 earthquake, there have been various reports on damage of various infrastructures such as hydropower projects along with road sections in quake-hit districts.

Districts such as Gorkha, Dhading, Nukwakot, Rasuwa, Sindupalchok, Dolakha, Ramechhap and Kavre are prime locations of major landslides after the earthquake.