Evaluating Conditioning Factors Influencing Terrain Stability in Himalayan Intermountain Regions

The Himalayan region has challenging topography and intricate geological formations, resulting in widespread unstable slopes and frequent tectonic activity that create conditions conducive to the occurrence of landslides. The Kashmir valley, located in the Himalayan-susceptible intermountain zones, includes various landslide-prone areas. The likelihood, magnitude, intensity, and frequency of landslides are directly affected by several factors, such as geological, hydrological, and anthropogenic factors. Despite the region having a notable record of devastating landslides, no specific study has been undertaken to explore the connection between conditioning factors and the occurrence of landslides. The current study filters specific conditioning factors and analyzes their impact on landslides using a frequency ratio method. The history of landslides in Kashmir valley was reconstructed (1990–2020), and the concentration of past landslides in each indicator was analyzed. A map of landslide susceptibility was created and classified into various categories, depending on the slip movement potential. The results were validated using a relative landslide density index. The study shows that approximately 52.3% of the valley falls under medium to very high susceptibility zones, with 25.5% high and 6.8% very high. Key conditioning factors such as elevation, geomorphology, distance to roads, and rivers were assigned significantly higher weights. Only 15% of the area lies in the very low susceptibility class. These results are crucial for the development of risk assessments and mitigation efforts in this region. Incorporating these findings into the planning process will allow for the identification of high-risk regions and support the development of specific plans to reduce the impact of landslides.