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Mar 11, 2024Keywords:
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Landslides Occurrence and Related Causal Factors in the Gishwati and Mukura Landscape of Rwanda
Abstract
The Gishwati and Mukura Landscape of Rwanda was affected by and is still susceptible to landslides events. This research aimed to establish the relationship between landslides occurrence and some major related causal factors including precipitation, slope gradient, lithology, soil type and depth, and land use/ cover type. In total, 45 landslide locations with visible features were identified through field observation and survey. With the aim of contributing to the landslide hazard evaluation, a detailed analysis of the rainfall events from 1981 to 2017 was carried out on monthly basis. Other secondary data were also collected. The data recorded were analyzed and compared with the occurrence of landslides. The results revealed that heavy rainfall clustered during two rainy seasons were the principal triggering factor of landslides in the landscape. It has been revealed that 56.5% of the observed landslides falls into the slope category of 8.7 –27.5% followed by the category of 27.5–39.0% with 41.3% of the total case identified. The areas occupied by the crop land was found to be the most affected with 50.0% of the total identified sites, followed by forest (34.8%) and built-up areas (15.2%). The soils with high percentage of clay content (>35%), originated from granite and quartzite, dominate the identified zones that were affected by landslides. Based on these findings, the outcomes of this study will help to build short and long-term flexibility into landslide risk management planning processes and decisions at the Gishwati and Mukura landscape level.
