Extreme precipitation events and landslide activity in the Kashmir Himalaya

• Published in: Bulletin of engineering geology and the environment 2023-08, Vol.82 (8), Article 328
• Main Authors: Shah, Bilquis, Alam, Akhtar, Bhat, M. Sultan, Ahsan, Shafkat, Ali, Noureen, Sheikh, Hilal Ahmad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Foundations; Geoecology/Natural Processes; Geoengineering; Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences; Hydraulics; Nature Conservation; Original Paper
• ISSN: 1435-9529; 1435-9537
• DOI: 10.1007/s10064-023-03350-w

Precipitation regimes in terms of magnitude, intensity, and frequency have a direct and immediate impact on the occurrence of landslides. Kashmir Himalaya is a hotspot of landslide activity; however, not much research has been carried out on the interplay of precipitation and landslides, despite precipitation being a key factor for landslide occurrence in the area. The current study constructed the landslide history (1990–2020) of the Kashmir Himalaya (Kashmir valley and NH-44) and established a correlation of past landslide events with extreme precipitation indices. Analysis of the rainfall pattern was carried out by deriving a suite of indices pertaining to the triggering mechanism of landslides. The relationship between the indices and landslide occurrences was evaluated using Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and their temporal tendencies were assessed using Man Kendall’s Tau test and Sen’s slope estimator. The results show that there is a moderate to strong annual concentrated precipitation distribution, depicting the seasonality in both precipitation and landslide distribution patterns. The extreme precipitation indices and the landslide occurrences show a positive correlation; however, the relationship is stronger along the NH-44. The projected changes in the climate are likely to influence the behavior of the extreme climate events and enhance future landslide activity in the region. The recognizable evidence describing the interaction of extreme precipitation events and the landslide activity in this study is expected to be useful for minimizing the impact of landslides in the region.