Assessment of torrential flood and landslide susceptibility of terrain: Case study – mlava river basin (Serbia)

Abstract

Torrential floods and landslides are frequent natural disasters in Serbia, but also in the Mlava River Basin. Due to the large number of settlements, the main goal of this research is to determine the locations that are most susceptible to torrential floods and landslides in the Mlava River Basin. Using geographic information systems (GIS), the first step is the analysis the susceptibility of the terrain to torrential floods using the Flash Flood Potential Index (FFPI) method. According to the obtained data, it was determined that 31.53% of the Mlava River Basin is susceptible, and 10.46% is very susceptible to torrential floods. The second step is the analysis of the susceptibility of the terrain to landslides, for which the statistical Probability method (PM) and the Landslide Susceptibility Index (LSI) were used. According to the results of the LSI index and PM method, 8.09% and 14.04% of the basin area is in the category of high and very high susceptibility to landslides. This paper represents a significant step towards a better understanding of unfavorable natural conditions in the Mlava River Basin, and the obtained results are applicable to numerous human activities in the research area (environmental protection, sustainable management of agricultural plots, protection of water and forest resources and ecosystems, etc.).