AI-Enhanced Landslide Susceptibility Mapping Using Remote Sensing and GIS in the Himalayan Region

Abstract

Landslides are a major concern in mountainous regions, especially across the Himalayas, due to their destructive impact on communities, infrastructure, and the environment. Increasing urban development and unpredictable weather patterns have heightened the urgency for reliable landslide susceptibility assessments. This paper reviews research published between 2020 and 2025, focusing on how remote sensing (RS) and geographic information systems (GIS) have been used to identify zones at risk. The review covers the use of topographical, hydrological, and land use data in mapping and analyzing vulnerable areas. Findings indicate that slope steepness, land cover change, and human activities are primary contributors to slope failure. The combination of RS and GIS has proven to be an effective and affordable method for generating region-wide landslide hazard maps.

Country : India

1 Er. Manpreet Singh2 Dr. Vijay Dhir

  1. Ph.D. Scholar, Department of Computer Science Engineering & Technology, Sant Baba Bhag Singh University, Jalandhar, Punjab, India
  2. Professor, Department of Computer Science Engineering & Technology, Sant Baba Bhag Singh University, Jalandhar, Punjab, India

IRJIET, Volume 9, Issue 6, June 2025 pp. 295-301

doi.org/10.47001/IRJIET/2025.906040

References

  1. P. Yadav and H. Bansal, “Dynamic landslide mapping using multi-sensor data in PauriGarhwal,” Int. J. Appl. Earth Obs. Geoinf., vol. 128, pp. 103978, 2025.
  2. V. Tiwari and R. Das, “Use of thermal indicators for landslide prediction in Kalimpong,” Remote Sens. Environ., vol. 295, pp. 113684, 2025.
  3. A.Negi and R. Bhardwaj, “Land use transformation and landslide vulnerability in Kumaon Himalayas,” Sustainable Earth, vol. 6, no. 1, p. 33, 2025.
  4. R. Sen and D. Pal, “SAR and wetness index-based landslide mapping along Tista River,” Geocarto Int., vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 221–239, 2025.
  5. P. Mitra, S. Chowdhury, and R. Nath, “Fuzzy logic-based terrain mapping for Darjeeling landslide risk,” Remote Sens. Appl. Soc. Environ., vol. 28, p. 100832, 2024.
  6. S. Pathania and P. Kaur, “NDVI and LST integration for landslide risk assessment on mountain highways,” GISci. Remote Sens., vol. 61, no. 2, pp. 145–162, 2024.
  7. R. Jadhav, S. Deshmukh, and M. Kale, “Real-time landslide risk prediction using cloud-based GIS in the Western Ghats,” Nat. Hazards, vol. 117, pp. 193–211, 2024.
  8. L. Acharya and B. Neupane, “Assessing land use change for landslide exposure in Nepalese farmlands,” Int. Soil Water Conserv. Res., vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 18–30, 2023.
  9. V. Bhatt and S. Kapoor, “Slope-based risk zonation in the Beas River valley using GIS techniques,” Environ. Earth Sci., vol. 82, p. 100, 2023.
  10. D. Rana and M. Gupta, “Curvature analysis and fault proximity in Himalayan landslide zonation,” Geocarto Int., vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 721–739, 2023.
  11. M. Ganguly, T. Das, and S. Roy, “Road curvature and drainage failure: Causes of landslides along NH-10,” Transp. Geotech., vol. 34, p. 100751, 2022.
  12. N. Bista and T. Lama, “Frequency ratio-based landslide zonation in central Nepal,” GISci. Remote Sens., vol. 59, no. 1, pp. 102–120, 2022.
  13. S. Kumar and D. Awasthi, “Morphometric GIS analysis for landslide zoning in Chamba Valley,” Appl. Geogr., vol. 141, p. 102621, 2022.
  14. D. Adhikari, B. Shakya, and H. Neupane, “Rainfall threshold analysis for landslide early warning in Nepal,” Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 1123–1140, 2022.
  15. K. Karki, R. Adhikari, and A. Thapa, “Assessing vegetation and ruggedness for landslide risk using remote sensing,” Remote Sens. Earth Syst. Sci., vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 211–228, 2022.
  16. K. Patel, M. Yadav, and L. Sharma, “Influence of hydrological parameters on landslide occurrences: A case study from Uttarakhand, India,” Environ. Monit. Assess., vol. 194, p. 224, 2022.
  17. V. Chand and R. Rawat, “Moisture index and slope curvature mapping for hazard zonation,” Hydrol. Sci. J., vol. 66, no. 7, pp. 1124–1140, 2021.
  18. B. Rajbhandari and N. Shakya, “Convex slope positioning and rainfall thresholds in Bagmati,” Nat. Hazards, vol. 106, pp. 1129–1147, 2021.
  19. A.Malik and D. Sharma, “Urban expansion and slope destabilization in Himachal Pradesh,” Geoenviron. Disasters, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 144–160, 2021.
  20. H. Joshi and R. Menon, “Terrain curvature and landslide susceptibility mapping in Garhwal Himalaya using Cartosat-1,” Geomatics Nat. Hazards Risk, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 1120–1137, 2021.
  21. B. Thapa and D. Gurung, “Sentinel-2-based vegetation analysis for landslide risk assessment in mid-hill Nepal,” Remote Sens. Appl. Soc. Environ., vol. 22, p. 100517, 2021.
  22. S. Pandey, N. Roy, and A. Jaiswal, “NDVI-based early warning system for landslides in Darjeeling,” Environ. Model. Softw., vol. 139, p. 105017, 2021.
  23. M. Ali and A. Srivastava, “Terrain ruggedness and landslide distribution modeling in Tehri region,” Nat. Hazards Res., vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 88–102, 2020.
  24. A.Mehta, S. Rathi, and T. Bansal, “AHP-based landslide zonation in the Alaknanda basin,” Geospatial World, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 88–102, 2020.
  25. S. Banerjee and A. Das, “Forest fragmentation and slope failure assessment in Kalimpong,” Ecohydrology, vol. 13, no. 5, p. e2213, 2020.
  26. N. Rai and P. Shrestha, “Multi-temporal GIS modeling for landslide prediction in the Dhauladhar range,” Geosci. Front., vol. 11, no. 6, pp. 1980–1990, 2020.
  27. R. Raj and J. Verghese, “Slope-hydrology integration for landslide modeling in the Nilgiris,” Geosci. Model Dev., vol. 13, pp. 1035–1050, 2020.
  28. R. Singh, A. Kumar, and V. Sharma, “GIS-based landslide susceptibility mapping using terrain and rainfall factors in Uttarakhand,” Geocarto Int., vol. 35, no. 9, pp. 845–862, 2020.
  29. S. Verma and P. Kaushik, “Integrating geotechnical and land use data for landslide hazard mapping in Kullu Valley,” J. Mountain Sci., vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 45–60, 2023.
  30. P. Sinha and M. Das, “Monsoon-driven vegetation loss and landslide susceptibility in Arunachal Pradesh,” Landslides, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 43–58, 2025.
  31. R. Shrestha, P. Sharma, and D. Joshi, “UAV and SAR for pre-failure slope monitoring in Eastern Nepal,” Geotech. Eng. J., vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 58–75, 2023.
  32. T. Bora and K. Sen, “Monitoring slope instability through land use transition in Arunachal Pradesh,” Environ. Monit. Assess., vol. 195, p. 328, 2023.
  33. S. Kumar and D. Awasthi, “Morphometric GIS analysis for landslide zoning in Chamba Valley,” Appl. Geogr., vol. 141, p. 102621, 2022.
  34. K. Karki, R. Adhikari, and A. Thapa, “Assessing vegetation and ruggedness for landslide risk using remote sensing,” Remote Sens. Earth Syst. Sci., vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 211–228, 2022.
  35. N. Bista and T. Lama, “Frequency ratio-based landslide zonation in central Nepal,” GISci. Remote Sens., vol. 59, no. 1, pp. 102–120, 2022.