Ethiopia’s Deadly Mudslide in the Gofa Region: Can The Geomorphology & Land Use of the Region Help Us Better Mitigate Another Disaster?

Ethiopia is experiencing great sorrow in the aftermath of a mudslide that has reportedly taken the lives of over 200 people, and counting.

The landslides occurred on Sunday evening and Monday morning, after heavy rains in a remote mountainous area of the Gofa zone. BBC News; Retrieved July 24, 2024.

 

General Geomorphology of Gofa, Ethiopia

The Gofa Region sits on flanks of a terrain that is mountainous & highly drained. The shape of the contours on the satellite imagery below, indicate that this region has highly deformed & weathered bedrock that make up its geology.

Satellite Imagery of Gofa, Ethiopia.

Google Satellite Image of Gofa, Ethiopia.

With a defined ridgeline, peaks, steep contours (hillsides), and potentially non-carbonated bedrock, surface & subsurface waterflow will dominate during rainfall.



Deforestation Landuse: A Contributor to Mudslide Occurrence

Google satellite imagery highlight that the Gofa region has an extensive area of deforestation. The removed forest made way for agriculture.

Satellite imagery of Agriculture Landuse in Gofa, Ethiopia.

Landuse Satellite Imagery – Agriculture: In Gofa, Ethiopia.

While the removal of the natural vegetation has made available extensive land for agricultural landuse to sustain the livelihood of the people who depend on the land for its food, this in turn has reduced the landscape capacity to minimize the erosive force of the water during rainfall. Which in turn could have increased the scale of the eventual mudslide, and the loss of lives with it.

About The Author

 

 

Oshane Bryant: BSc Geology, Geography Minor; ACE CPT since 2012; Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) Accelerator Graduate-2018 cohort; Licensed KUKIBO Martial Arts & Self Defense, Senior Instructor; OB Fitness Founder & Managing Director.

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