The Impact of Agricultural Irrigation on Landslide Triggering: A Review from Chinese, English, and Spanish Literature

Pablo Garcia-Chevesich,Yao Zhang,Vilma García,Edgard Gonzáles,Xiaolu Wei,Andrew Graber,Paul Santi,John Mccray,Hanna Flamme,Juana Ticona,Richard Krahenbuhl,Julia Zea,Gisella Martínez,Francisco Alejo

doi:10.3390/w13010010

Abstract

Landslides are considered a natural process, with hundreds of events occurring every year in many regions of the world. However, human activities can significantly affect how stable a slope or cliff is, increasing the chances of slope collapses. Moreover, agricultural irrigation has potential to saturate subsurface materials well below ground level and is known to be an important factor that can trigger landslides in many countries. A macroregional literature review of irrigation-induced landslides was developed in this investigation, considering what has been published in Chinese, English, and Spanish. A total of 115 peer-reviewed papers, books and book chapters, graduate and undergraduate theses, and government reports were found, including 82 case studies (23 in Chinese, 26 in English, and 33 in Spanish). Results from this analysis indicate that studies focusing on this important topic have increased exponentially since the 1960s, with most irrigation-induced landslides occurring in dry climates (precipitation less than 600 mm/year), with rainfall concentrated during summer months. The majority of studies have been done in the loess region of China (Asian region), followed by Peru (Latin American region), though cases were found from other macroregions (African, Indian, Russian, Angloamerican, and Indonesian). Based on this global review, new agricultural irrigation projects located in collapsible areas must include a landslide risk analysis. Cultivated areas can follow a series of measures to minimize the chances of triggering a landslide, which would put human lives, ecosystems, food production, and infrastructure at risk.

Highlights

Introduction affiliationsLandslides occur around the world in a variety of geologic settings, representing a significant hazard to human lives [1]
Landslides can be triggered by human activities [32], with numerous cases around the world documented in the literature, including mass movements initiated by excavations [33], piping of soil [34], terracing [35,36], deforestation [37,38], and urbanization [39], among others
Considering all of the above and following the global macroregional classification defined by Anděl et al [49], we develop a worldwide review focused on the effects of agricultural irrigation on landslide triggering

Summary

Introduction

Introduction affiliationsLandslides occur around the world in a variety of geologic settings, representing a significant hazard to human lives [1]. Yin [111] and Ding [112], as well as slope stability analyses made by Duan et al [113], concluded that artificially induced water percolation from agricultural activities was the main triggering factor in landslides occurring in dry climatic regions of the country.

Results

Conclusion