Socio–Economic Vulnerability Assessment of Landslides

Abstract

Landslide hazard makes severe tragic situation in hill country areas each year. Geomorphological, geological and hydrological factors mainly effects to the occurrence of landslides. But when it comes with excessive rainfall, the damage goes double. With the rapid development, unstable hill slope areas are under the pressures of increasing population and their activities. Hence human activities such as deforestation, cultivation, unplanned land use practices, etc. combine to create landslide hazard to make severe disasters. Especially during the last two decades in the mountain slopes of hill country vanished hundreds of human lives and their valuable assets. Rehabilitation and reconstruction of landslide areas is not an easy task to fulfill. Socio-economic vulnerability assessment for a landslide represent the underlying factors which influence a community’s ability to deal with, and recover from the damage associated with landslides. Also these assessments are giving pre-preparedness ideas for the community to deal with the hazards. Considering these facts this study was about to assess how social and economic conditions strongly influence the vulnerability factors for landslide hazard and asses the population capacity for landslide. Dodamwatta Grama Niladhari Division, situated in Badulla district has selected as the study area and the area had faced main landslides in 2001 and 2011. The main socio economic factors calculated qualitatively, using expertise weighting method and using United Nations Multi hazard risk assessment guidance criteria. Other sub socio economic or sub vulnerable factors have weighed according to three standers that created by the researchers using field data requirements through the questionnaire. Population capacity rates examined using questionnaire. The ultimate goal of this study is preparing a socio economically vulnerability map for landslide in the study area and identified socio economically vulnerable areas (high, medium, low) to a landslide disaster through vulnerability map. Prepared map shows, north western part is socio economically highly vulnerability for landslide disaster.