Analysis and Simulation of Landslide Processes and Methods of Prevention

Abstract

Landslides are some of the significant threats in the world's steep and unstable terrains, especially in the areas of the African continent, including Enugu and Abakaliki in the Southeastern part of Nigeria. It is, therefore, essential to identify the causes of landslides so as to be in a position to prevent the hazards. This research work aimed to use a holistic approach in the evaluation of landslide susceptibility, where data acquisition was done using rainfall gauges, soil moisture sensors, and a geographic position system (GPS) inclinometer. Various statistical techniques, such as correlation analysis and thresholding techniques, were used to determine the relationship between the rainfall intensity, the degree of soil moisture, and ground movement. The investigation established that there existed a significant relationship between enhanced rainfall intensity level and the elevated possibility of landslides in the analyzed region. The climatic parameters were analyzed to determine critical thresholds: rainfall amount where soil moisture level increases; 20 mm/day was found to cause an increase in the ground movement and thus increase the susceptibility of landslides. Other specifics, like the maximum recorded Rainfall of twenty four, have been taken into consideration. On January 7th, the decrease was recorded at 1 mm/day; the level of soil moisture was recorded at 36%, while the ground movement was recorded at 6.5mm, which can be considerable enough to be classified within the "Critical" alarm level. In relation to the study findings, there is need to adopt improved monitoring systems as well as Acute Management Risk Plans to check on all landslides in both Enugu and Abakaliki. The presented research outcomes are relevant to the general understanding of landslide activity in tropical areas and the development of appropriate resilience interventions.