Landslides are more widespread than any other geological event, and can occur anywhere in the world. They occur when large masses of soil, rocks or debris move down a slope due to a natural phenomenon or human activity. Mudslides or debris flows are also a common type of fast-moving landslide. Landslides can accompany heavy rains or follow droughts, earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. Areas ...
Sri Lanka is experiencing torrential rainfall, severe flooding and landslides as the northeast monsoon intensifies, worsened by the impact of Cyclonic Storm Ditwah which made landfall on the island’s eastern coast early morning on 28 November 2025. Cyclone Ditwah has resulted in a devastating nationwide emergency in Sri Lanka, affecting more than 1.4 million people from over 407,594 families ...
I n the aftermath of these floods and landslides, the risk of water pollution has increased, raising concerns about a potential rise in waterborne diseases and other sanitation-related public health issues. Additionally, there is an elevated risk of vector-borne diseases, respiratory and skin conditions, and mental health challenges. To address these critical health risks, WHO has been working ...
Earthquakes can strike suddenly and without warning. An earthquake is a violent and abrupt shaking of the ground, caused by movement between tectonic plates along a fault line in the earth’s crust. Earthquakes can result in the ground shaking, soil liquefaction, landslides, fissures, avalanches, fires and tsunamis. The extent of destruction and harm caused by an earthquake depends on ...
On 25 April 2015 at 11:56 NST, with a mighty shudder, the earth released the pent-up seismic energy trapped within in the form of an earthquake that lasted 55 seconds. That brief span of time was enough to cause thousands of deaths, injure several thousand people, bring down buildings and shanties alike, split apart roads, damage health facilities and schools, cause avalanches and landslides ...