A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF LANDSLIDES AND GEOHAZARD ...

This study was a comparative study to generate information which may be useful in the
analysis of causes and mitigation measures of landslides throughout the country. As
shown in Section 1.1, previous landslide studies concentrated on landslides in Southern
Malawi. It was imperative to study landslides in Northern and Central Malawi,
considering the variations in climate and physiography of Malawi (Linceham, 1972; and
Agnew and Stubbs, 1972).
In the study areas, landslides either claimed human lives or damaged property, or
infrastructure. Continued instability put human life and property in great danger. There
was, therefore, an urgent need to investigate the causes of the landslides in order to
formulate an informed basis for minimising or preventing further losses. Through the
identification of the causes, the study would form the basis of landslide hazard
management for the study areas.
In Malawi, this research is the first comparison of landslide occurrences and a follow-up
attempt to classify the events. The research was also based on a simple methodology
developed and modified for a developing country. This methodology could form the
basis for teaching slope stability problems at tertiary level in Malawi as one way that
makes the study of practical use.
According to the available international literature, the research is the first of its kind to
incorporate traditional knowledge and beliefs in the understanding of landslides. It is
also the first attempt to assess gendered perceptions towards landslides in Malawi. In
that respect, the research is an important step towards the incorporation of traditional
knowledge into the scientific understanding of landslide mechanisms of generation
while bearing in mind gender-based perceptions. This would bring a better
understanding of the complex relationship between humans, the physical environment,
and the occurrence of landslides.
1.5 Significance of the Study
The study is significant in a number of ways. Firstly, the study has generated information
on landslide occurrences which will be used for comparative purposes. The study also
fills in critical gap since landslide studies have been concentrated in Southern Malawi
and very little work has been done in Northern and Central Malawi (Msilimba, 2002; and
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