Landslide Distribution Analysis and Susceptibility Mapping: A Case Study from Haveli District, Pakistan

Abstract

Landslide is a frequent and recurrent phenomenon in the northern mountainous terrain of Pakistan and Kashmir region. Where fatalities and severe economic losses occur along with the long time blockage of transport lines. The primary purpose of this research was to establish primary data and information about landslide occurrence in this area. For this purpose, interpretation of SPOT-5 satellite images and field investigations were carried out to develop a landslide inventory of the region. A total 534 landslides were identified and subsequently verified through field visits in a 540 km2 area. A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of 12.5 m resolution was used to derive topographic factors such as slope, aspect, curvature elevation and drainage in ArcGIS 10.1. Land cover map was generated using Landsat 8 imageries and processed in ENVI 5.3 software. After that, overlaying the landslide inventory map on these causative factor maps, landslide distributions were assessed in each class of causative factors. Landslide concentration was significantly found to be very high in slope gradient of more than 60° (3.84), followed by water bodies class of land cover (3.35), and the road network (3.07). The landslide susceptibility map was developed using weight of evidence method to rank the region in low, moderate, high and very high susceptibility zones. This map could be helpful for planners to develop a safe hazard plan of the region.