Two men have died in a landslide hit the hamlet of Baba Ghale in Baramulla District, Jammu and Kashmir, on Friday 3 April 2015. Two other people were reported to have been injured in the event. All four were reportedly in an area of forest when they were hit the dead men have been named as Muhammad Dilawar Mir and Muhammad Jabbar. The incident comes amidst widespread flooding in Kashmir, associated with a prolonged period of consistent rainfall. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids.
The approximate location of the 3 April 2015 Laldan landslide. Google Maps.
The Jammu and Kashmir region is extremely prone to landslides, due to a number of active faults in the area, these being driven by the northward movement of the Indian Plate, which is pushing into Eurasia at a rate of 40 mm a year. This causes earthquakes on both plates, as well as the folding and uplift that has created the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau. Typically this is more of a problem in the monsoon season in July and August, when rainfall often exceeds 650 mm per month in many areas, but the state has a fairly wet climate year round and rainfall in excess of 40-50 mm per month in January-March is not unusual, while about 85 mm is typical for April.
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