Vulnerability and environmental risk in the Sierra Otomí Tepehua (Hidalgo, México)

Abstract

Extreme geomorphological and hydrometeorological events cause landslides (gravitational processes) in vulnerable and marginalized communities, where the risk and effects of a natural disaster reduce responsiveness to environmental adversities. In the state of Hidalgo (Mexico) exists dangers as slope instability and processes of massive removal of soil, but in some municipalities of the Sierra Otomí-Tepehua (SOT) does not exist a municipal instrument that provides information on high-risk localities. This study evaluated landslide risk in 220 localities located in three municipalities of the Sierra Otomí-Tepehua region (SOT) using information from the 2020 national census. A geospatial analysis was built in localities with landslide risk, further social vulnerability was evaluated in 33 localities located on hillsides, and the Social Vulnerability Index of Housing (IVSV) was determined. 109 localities with a high and very high level of social vulnerability were identified due to the physical condition of the dwellings located in areas with landslide risk. Finally, risk map of landslides was developed through multi-criteria analysis to focus on mitigate and prevent disasters in the most vulnerable localities of the SOT.