GRSG Conference 2022: Orbit to Outcrop

Poster Title: Landslide-induced hazard, vulnerability and risk assessment in the eastern Hindu Kush Mountain ranges, Pakistan

Author: Muhammad Shafique

Abstract:

Given the physical, environmental and climatological setting, the society and infrastructure in northern Pakistan are frequently affected and highly prone to devastating landslides. Eastern Hindu Kush Mountain ranges in northern Pakistan, administratively covered by district Chitral, is repeatedly witnessed to damaging landslides and debris flow, however, the critical information on landslide hazard, vulnerability and risk analysis is lacking.

This study aims to demarcate the landslide hazard zones, evaluate the social, physical, and environmental vulnerability and eventually execute the landslide risk analysis. A comprehensive landslide inventory is developed from high-resolution satellite images which is subsequently verified in the field and associated attributes are incorporated.

The predisposing parameters comprising of geological, topographical and anthropogenic and triggering factors including the precipitation and PGA are utilized to develop landslide hazard assessment using a bivariate statistical model. The element at-risk data is comprised of the settlement’s footprints linked with the typological information of around 19000 buildings, road network, landuse, critical infrastructure and indicators of social vulnerability.

Multi-criteria evaluation technique is applied for exposure and vulnerability assessment of the mapped infrastructure and settlements and subsequently applied for the risk analysis. The derived results were analysed in the grid and administrative units at village levels, which shows that most of the villages located on tributary junction fans in upper Chitral are in a very high-risk zone. The produced results can be utilized by disaster management practitioners and communities to assist in landuse planning and reduce the landslide-induced risk in the region.