Terrain Sensitivity Assessment Based on ASTER DEM V-3 Data and Field Investigation of the Hills of Darjeeling District, West Bengal, India

The panoramic hills of the Darjeeling district, having morpho-tectonically complexMorpho-tectonically complex and diversified landformsDiversified landforms, exhibit varied physical tolerance for human activities and habitation. With the establishment of a post-independent ordered government in India and with the gradual growth of hill tourism, rapid agglomeration of population and the resultant expansion of urban areas and business-induced settlement growth have taken place in the picturesque landscapeLandscape of the hills of Darjeeling districtHills of Darjeeling district in an accelerated manner. All these have led to a change of the natural setup in the hills, and human pressureHuman pressure on the geologically and geomorphologically complex landscapeLandscape is seen to have a significant bearing upon the stability of this region because random anthropogenic activities impose a force upon the landscapeLandscape irrespective of the degree of toleranceDegree of tolerance the landscape can endure. Such human pressureHuman pressure is manifested by the frequent occurrence of devastating landslidesLandslide almost every year after rain, as well as soil erosion in the present time. Therefore, the present chapter is an attempt to quantitatively assess such human pressureHuman pressure-induced ‘Terrain SensitivityTerrain sensitivity’ of various magnitudes, based on ‘Proportional Value-added Rating’ (PVR) algorithm-guided multi-criteria decision analysisMulti Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), GISGeographic Information System (GIS), field investigation followed by a method of deduction in the hills of Darjeeling districtHills of Darjeeling district, West Bengal, India. This assessment will be a step forward to pave the right way for environmentalEnvironmental planning and management for sustainable use of the hilly landscapeLandscape in the study area.