Landslide susceptibility mapping along the Udhampur-Ramban section of National Highway-44, Jammu and Kashmir: A case study based on the frequency ratio method

Many chronic landslides occurred in the Himalayas as a result of the ever-increasing amplification of road networks and the tampering of hill slopes for urban development. The purpose of this study is to create a landslide susceptibility map (LSM) using the Frequency Ratio (FR) method for the section of National Highway-44 (NH-44) between Udhampur and Ramban, Jammu and Kashmir. The current study also examines the relationship between the various triggering factors and the landslides along this section of highway. A total of eighty-four landsliding sites were identified and mapped through field visits and satellite imageries to create a landslide inventory. The study showed that the dominant factors influencing the slope’s stability in the study area are elevation and terrain ruggedness index which are followed by the study area's slope aspect and land use land cover. The prepared LSM was divided into very low, low, moderate, high, and very high landslide susceptibility zones, respectively. The current study revealed that 54 % of the study area falls into the very low susceptibility class, 17 % each in the low and moderate susceptibility class, 12 % in the high susceptibility class, and 0 % under very high landslide susceptibility class. The resulting susceptibility map for various zones was evaluated using the receiver operative characteristic (ROC) curve, which yielded comparatively good prediction and success rates of 90.2 % and 84.9 %, respectively. The study offers analytical frameworks and mitigation strategies for successfully minimising the main risks associated with landslide occurrences, shedding light on important information for decision-makers, stakeholders, and planners.