Large scale landslides involving human casualties and notable losses to property were practically unknown in Uttara Kannada district situated towards the central Western Ghat-west coast region of Indian peninsula.  A rethinking has set in, however, following a major disaster in early October, 2009, when following rainfalls of unprecedented intensity for the period, over 20 landslides happened during a single day in Karwar taluk, in which 19 people were buried alive in a single locality itself, and in other places the residents had providential escape due to marginal shifts in the actual locations of slope failures from human habitations. That the threat for future is at large can be deduced from the recurrence of a rockslide hitting a running train during the rains of 2010, killing one person and injuring others. Yet another hillside collapse happened in the outskirts of Kumta taluk, and the ground below being sparsely populated no casualties happened.

In view of the ever increasing developmental pressures in coastal Uttara Kannada, from the establishment of INS Kadamba, India’s largest naval base, yet in the process of growth, Kaiga nuclear power plant, Karwar port and Bellikeri port handling specifically iron ore and granites beyond their carrying capacity limits, development of tourism etc. all leading towards increased deforestation of coastal hills and pediment cutting the risk proneness from slope failures appears to be looming large in the future years. The risk enhancement factor needs to be analyzed  in view of the erratic rainfalls, and increased intensities in October, when otherwise the season of rains should have been tapering off. The specter of climatic change necessitates greater focus on slope failures, identification of hillsides prone to slope failures, study of causative and triggering factors , depiction of vulnerable areas on GIS based and locality specific maps and on evolving innovative technologies for future management.