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Integrated landslide risk assessment utilizing open source satellite and ground data in the Himalayas of Northern Pakistan
Author(s)
Ahmad, Naseem
Shafique, Muhammad
Hussain, Mian Luqman
Shah, Munawar
Alarifi, Nassir Saad
Abukhadra, Mostafa R.
Date Issued
July 1, 2025
Type
Article
Abstract
Landslides have devastating effect on communities, infrastructure, and the environment, making them one of the most recurring and harmful natural hazards globally. This study propose an integrated approach of freely available geospatial data and semi-quantitative techniques to evaluate landslide hazard, vulnerability, and risk in one of the most landslide-prone valleys i.e., Kaghan Valley, northern Pakistan. The Google Earth Pro, high-resolution DEM and satellite images are used to develop a landslide inventory, derived causative factors and assess the landslide hazard and risk assessment in Kaghan Valley. The landslide susceptibility map is then integrated with landslide-triggering factors to derive a landslide hazardindex map. A geospatial database of element-at-risk data of 66,282 building footprints, typological data, road network, population, and land cover are obtained through remote sensing and extensive field surveys. The quantitative analysis revealed that 8.43 km2 (0.66%) of the total area falls under the very high-risk category, while 271.19 km2 (21.11%) is classified as high risk, and 80.91 km2 (6.30%) as moderate risk, establishing a strong basis for risk assessment.
Citation
Natural Hazards, 121(13), 15751-15787, 2025