Landslide susceptibility zonation: A case study of the municipality of Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Abstract

Along with flash floods, landslides are one of the most widespread and damaging natural hazards in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This paper determines areas susceptible to landslides in the Municipality of Banja Luka (Republika Srpska, northwest Bosnia and Herzegovina). Based on a terrain survey in a 55.4 km2area, 216 landslides were identified with a total area of 2.9 km2or 5.2% of the municipality. According to landslide susceptibility modeling, low susceptibility is present from one-quarter to one-half of the territory and very high susceptibility is present from several percentages up to one-third of the territory, depending on the model used. The results may support government mitigation programs and help in developing a landslide hazard and risk assessment model for the area.