Citation

Babitha BG, Danumah JH, Pradeep GS, Costache R, Patel N, Prasad MK, Rajaneesh A, Mammen PC, Ajin RS, Kuriakose SL. Saf. Extrem. Environ. 2022; 4(2): 171-191.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s42797-022-00061-5

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Landslides are the most frequently occurring geohazard in the Western Ghats due to the steep terrain and heavy rainfall the area receives. This research aims to develop a framework to demarcate the zones susceptible to landslides employing geographic information system (GIS) technique. The Western Ghats region in Kollam district is selected for the modelling. Landsat satellite images, digital elevation model, published topographic, soil and geological maps, Google Earth Pro are the sources used in the study. Ten major parameters that impact landslide susceptibility are used, which include slope angle, elevation, slope aspect, stream buffer, lithology, soil, road buffer, normalized difference vegetation index, land use and land cover, and lineament buffer. Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and frequency ratio (FR) methods were used to determine the relative weights of each parameter on landslide susceptibility, and the maps were prepared using ArcGIS software. The study area was demarcated into five zones of susceptibility. According to the analysis, 33% and 23% of the area are classified as high and very high susceptible zones in maps generated using the AHP and FR methods, respectively. The landslide occurrence in this area can be attributed to both natural as well as anthropogenic activities (mainly due to road cuttings). To validate the result of this study, the landslide incidence data collected from the National Remote Sensing Centre has been utilized. The validation confirmed that the results are outstanding, with an AUC value of 0.906 and 0.926 for the AHP and FR methods, respectively. The outcome of the study is useful for land-use planners, policymakers, and the government in taking effective preventive and mitigation measures in the areas of higher susceptibility to minimize the loss of property and fatalities.

Language: en

Keywords

Analytical hierarchy process; Anthropogenic factors; Frequency ratio; Slope failures; Western ghats