January 2007 final map

Below is the fatal landslide distribution map for January 2008. I have coded the rainfall induced landslides as black dots and those caused by other causes as red dots.

The January 2008 fatal landslide distribution map. Rainfall-induced landslides are the black dots, those caused by other processes (mostly quarrying and construction) are in red. Click on the map for a larger version.

A few observations on the data:

• I recorded 20 fatal landslides in the month with a total of 106 fatalities
• Of these, only six were triggered by rainfall, accounting for 56 deaths.
• There is a notable cluster of landslides in northern India. However, most of these were triggered construction or quarrying, so it probably represents just a coincidence.
• Overall, the total is below the long term average for the number of fatalities occurring in January.

I welcome any thoughts, observations or comments.