Kerala mandates slope stability report by govt-notified agencies for construction in hilly terrains
Officials with the Department of Mining and Geology said that a Standard Operating Procedure is being prepared based on the HC directive.
Officials with the Department of Mining and Geology said that a Standard Operating Procedure is being prepared based on the HC directive.
Officials with the Department of Mining and Geology said that a Standard Operating Procedure is being prepared based on the HC directive.
The slope stability study report mandated for constructions in hilly areas will now have to be obtained only from those agencies notified by the state government. The Industries Department has amended the Kerala Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 2015, saying that if the proposed building construction site is located in a hilly terrain with steep slopes where excavation of ordinary earth may result in slope failures, the building permit granting authority shall insist the applicant to submit a slope stability study report prepared by any reputable agency, notified by the Government capable of providing geotechnical investigation services.
The amendment has been introduced based on the High Court directives while considering a public interest litigation filed by S Unnikrishnan. In the petition, he prayed that the HC may direct the government to make the slope stability report, by any of the Indian Institutes of Technology or equivalent institutions, a mandatory requirement for getting building permits in hilly terrains with steep slopes.
The department had amended the rule in 2023 by including the condition on the slope stability study report. In August 2024, the HC, however, observed that there was no clarity in this rule. It said that no construction can be allowed in hilly terrain with steep slopes, considering the ecological imbalances created consequent upon the removal of ordinary earth from hilly terrain with steep slopes.
"The Western Ghats is a sensitive area. We also find that there is no scientific study in regard to the carrying capacity of such hilly terrain. Without there being a scientific study as to the carrying capacity of hilly terrain, excavation of ordinary earth shall not be permitted from such area," the HC order issued in August said.
Officials with the Department of Mining and Geology said that a Standard Operating Procedure is being prepared based on the HC directive. "Since the 2018 floods hit Kerala, hazard zones were identified in the state. Rehabilitation of people residing in areas prone to natural disasters has been a major challenge. By mandating a slope stability study report, constructions in red zones can be regulated," an official said.
However, it is cited that the move could lead to objections from the public who face land shortages to build houses in certain places. "The requirement of a study report for a house will be different from one needed for a college or a large building. So we need to identify agencies accordingly. Even then, the cost factor for carrying out the study and the time taken for such studies may lead to public resistance. The rule mainly aims at minimising habitation in vulnerable areas," another official said.
In 2025, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority issued the Orange Book, laying out guidelines for monsoon preparedness and disaster management. The book replaced the landslide-susceptibility map earlier published by the National Centre for Earth Science Studies in 2010 with the new mapping done by the Geological Survey of India. The map classifies various areas in the state under three categories - high, moderate and low-hazard zones.