Field observations and lessons learnt from the 2018 landslide disasters in Idukki District, Kerala, India

The landslide events, that occurred in August 2018 in the Idukki district Kerala, India were surveyed during 12-14 September 2018. Many landslides were studied through field observations to decipher their mechanism and mitigation measures have been recommended. Possible causative factors responsible for these slope failures have been discussed. This event was the most devastating disaster that affected millions of people and the second such event after the Kedarnath tragedy (2013) during this decade. The primary causes responsible for initiation of these landslides were unexpected intense rainfall, unplanned development and urbanization. This study on field observation-based interpretations will help academicians, researchers and field engineers to plan future initiatives for reconstruction planning and implementation in line with future disaster risk reduction.