Final answer:
Engineers propose securing slopes using engineering practices and land-use regulations to mitigate landslide risks, emphasizing the danger of heavy rainfall, earthquakes, and volcanic activity in triggering unpredictable mass movements.
Step-by-step explanation:
The engineers proposed a plan to secure the rocky hillside slopes using engineering practices and land-use management regulations to reduce the risk of landslides. They cautioned that without proper stabilization, factors such as heavy rainfall, earthquakes, and volcanic activity could cause unpredictable mass movements, resulting in serious structural damage to the surrounding area. Implementing effective mitigation strategies, including geologic investigations and slope stabilization, is critical to prevent such disasters. Terracing, as used historically in places like the Andeans, can provide both a method for agriculture in steep topographies and a stabilizing effect on slopes.
Landslides are a significant geologic hazard, accentuated by the expansion of human developments into areas with steep slopes making more people vulnerable to their impacts. Events that can trigger landslides include erosion, over-saturation, and excessive weight on weak slopes. Knowledge of historical failures, like the Vajont Dam incident, underscores the importance of thorough geological assessments before construction near steep slopes.