Landslide susceptibility mapping in Darjeeling hills
- Disaster & Development: NIDM
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Landslides are recurrent natural events that pose significant risks to human settlements and infrastructure, particularly in craggy Himalayan terrains like the Darjeeling Hills. This study aims to examine landslide events in the region, analyze their occurrence, underlying factors, and implications for the local community. Various datasets, including landslide point data, geology maps, road networks, rainfall data, slope maps, and physiography maps, were utilized for spatial analysis of landslides. The findings reveal that landslide occurrences are concentrated in the high and middle altitudinal hills, particularly in areas with extremely steep slopes. The high precipitation and weak geology of the region contribute to the vulnerability of these areas to landslides. Rainfall, road density, slope, and geology were utilized for landslide susceptibility mapping using weighted overlay method in GIS environment. The landslide susceptibility zones were divided into four classes i.e., highly unstable, moderately unstable, moderately stable and stable that cover 1%, 45%, 46% and 7% of the total study area (1265.1 km2 ). The findings of the study can be used for mitigation of landslides and land use planning. – Reproduced