Empirical assessment of rockfall and debris flow risk along the Karakoram Highway, Pakistan

Sajid Ali (), Rashid Haider, Wahid Abbas, Muhammad Basharat and Klaus Reicherter
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Sajid Ali: RWTH Aachen University
Rashid Haider: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
Wahid Abbas: RWTH Aachen University
Muhammad Basharat: University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir
Klaus Reicherter: RWTH Aachen University

Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, 2021, vol. 106, issue 3, No 30, 2437-2460

Abstract: Abstract The Karakoram Highway links north Pakistan with southwest China. It passes through unique geomorphological, geological and tectonic setting. This study focused 200-km-long section of the highway starting from Besham until Chilas. Landslides are frequent and are mostly triggered by torrential rain during Monsoon and Westerlies, leading to highway blockade. Rockfall and debris flow are prime mode of slope failures. Regional to site-specific approach was implemented to assess risk associated with these two modes. Remote sensing-based techniques were used to identify potential hazardous sites, which were further investigated for risk assessment. Modified Pierson’s rockfall hazard rating system (RHRS) rated potential rockfalls, whereas semi-quantitative technique was employed to assess debris flows. Normalized scores of each site shaped the final map, further classified into four zones: very high, high, intermediate and low risk.

Keywords: Risk assessment; Landslide; Rockfall; Debris flow; Karakoram Highway (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11069-021-04549-4

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