ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Landslide mitigation

Hi there! Do you know what a landslide is? It’s when a lot of dirt and rocks suddenly slide down a hill or mountain. Sometimes, it happens because of rain or earthquakes, and it can be really dangerous because it can damage homes, roads, and hurt people.

Now, can you imagine if we could stop or prevent landslides from happening? That’s where landslide mitigation comes in! Mitigation means to lessen or reduce something bad from happening.

There are different ways to mitigate landslides. One way is to plant more trees and plants in the area. This is called reforestation. The roots of trees and plants hold the soil together and keep it from sliding down. When it rains, the water is absorbed by the roots and doesn’t cause the soil to become slippery.

Another way is to build structures that can help stop the landslide from happening. For example, engineers can build a wall or barrier to hold the soil in place. They can also dig channels or drainage systems to redirect the water away from the area.

Finally, people can avoid building homes or structures on steep slopes or hills where landslides are more likely to happen. By being careful where we build things, we can reduce the risk of landslides.

So, overall, landslide mitigation is when we take actions to prevent or reduce landslides from happening. We can plant more trees and plants, build structures to hold the soil in place or redirect water, and be careful where we build our homes and buildings.