Current landslide risk management in the Pyrenees

Currently, there is no specific civil protection plan against landslides in any of the three trans-Pyrenean countries involved in the project (Spain, Andorra and France).

In Spain, landslide management is generally marginally included in flood plans. The Spanish state plan for civil protection againsts floods considers landslides as potentially harmful phenomena that should be analyzed after floods.

Particularly:

  • In Catalonia, the special plan for flood emergencies (INUNCAT) considers landslides, although only those related to floods (associated with flooding in alluvial fans or caused by river erosion). Morover, if slope movements occur, the Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia (ICGC) is in charge of their evaluation and monitoring.

  • In Euskadi there is an operational plan against landslides (LURRA) in which tasks are assigned to various public surveys in the event of a landslide (including the basic description of the event).

At a level of geological danger associated with instabilities of the terrain, the territory of Andorra is zoned at scale of 1/5.000, where block falls, flows, superficial landslides and large movements of the terrain are distinguished. The mapping is available in the Spatial Data Infrastructure of Andorra (IDE). Some of the land movements inventoried on this platform have specific studies at scale 1/2000. These studies are mainly oriented to improve management of urban development in areas located on top of terrain instabilities. From these studies, a series of plans are developed according to the requirements and restrictions of the projected buildings (limitations on excavation heights, floor levels, installations and auscultative monitoring, etc.). At the same time, these  studies contemplate the progressive implantation of general auscultation systems for each inestability. Nowadays the Andorran government has implemented 3 of the large landslides active in the territory: the Forn de Canillo (Figure 1), the Fener and a sector of the Tarteres. They also plan to start drafting the bases of the work plan corresponding to the Vila-Beixalís landslide.


Figure 1. Trihedron  for ground radar monitoring located on top of borehole S10 at the Canillo landslide (2010-2011 campaign) (Source: Xavier Planas)

In France,