The impact of environmental change on landslides, fatal landslides, and their triggers in Pakistan (2003–2019)

Abstract

The actual impact of landslides in Pakistan is highly underestimated and has not been addressed to its full extent. This study focuses on the impact which landslides had in the last 17 years, with focus on mortality, gender of deceased, main triggers (landslides and fatal landslides), and regional identification of the hotspots in Pakistan. Our study identified 1089 landslides (including rockfalls, rockslides, mudslides, mudflows, debris flows) out of which 180 landslides were fatal and claimed lives of 1072 people. We found that rain (rainfall and heavy rainfall)-related landslides were the deadliest over the entire study period. The main trigger of landslides in Pakistan is heavy rainfall which comprises over 50% of the triggers for the landslide, and combined with normal rainfall, this rate climbs to over 63%. The second main reason for landslide occurrence is spontaneous (due to rock instability, erosion, climate change, and other geological elements) with landslides accounting for 22.3% of all the landslides. Landslides caused by rain-related events amounted to 41.67% of the fatalities, whereas spontaneous landslides caused 29.44% of the deaths and the human induced events accounted for 25.5% of the fatalities. The fatal landslides accounted for 19.53% deaths of the children. Our study also found that more than 48% of the deadly landslides occurred between the months of January to April, whereas the least fatal landslides occurred in the month of June which accounted for only 3% of all the fatal landslides in Pakistan.

Post-Landslide Liquefaction Analysis: A Case Study in the Kupang Regency Area, Indonesia

“…Shabbir et al [40] investigated the impact of environmental changes on landslides, revealing seasonal patterns in fatal landslides and the influence of environmental factors on their occurrence (the study examined the role of citrus groves in exacerbating rainfall-induced landslide hazards, highlighting vegetation's impact on landslide events) [41].…”

Municipal Solid Waste Management in Skardu: Current Status, and Corrective Measures

“…The maximum waste of 1640 tonnes was collected in June and the minimum waste was collected during January which was 1262 tonnes. It was observed that the trends of the waste collection varied and diverted from normal trends during the different months of the year 2020 due to the Juglot Skardu Road (JSR) blockage and fuel shortages for vehicles [21] in Skardu causing inefficient waste collection during peak season. However, the waste collection in the city during the year 2021 reflects the actual waste generation trends (Figure 3).…”

Assessing landslide susceptibility in Lake Abya catchment, Rift Valley, Ethiopia: A GIS-based frequency ratio analysis

“…Regions characterized by topographical features that exhibit challenging conditions are susceptible to landslides, which are natural phenomena capable of inflicting substantial harm to various aspects such as property, infrastructure, and human life (Zhang et al, 2022;Shabbir et al, 2023). Landslide susceptibility (LSM) maps are widely used to assess and mitigate landslide risks.…”

“…Assisted by Geographic Information Systems (GIS), LSM visually illustrates this susceptibility, aiding in better comprehension and management of potential landslide occurrences (Huang et al, 2023). Susceptibility mapping quantifies the impact of various contributing variables on the probability of landslides transpiring within specified regions (Shabbir et al, 2023).…”

“…Identifying areas where human activities may trigger landslides depends on land use/land cover data. The probability of landslides occurring varies greatly depending on the rock type, including porosity, permeability, and cohesiveness (Zhang et al, 2022;Conforti et al, 2023;Shabbir et al, 2023).…”