Multihazard Assessment of the Sutlej-Beas River Basin Using Bivariate Statistical Frequency Ratio (FR) Model and Management Barriers of Land-River Interface

Climate change coupled with increased anthropogenic activities intensifies the potency and frequency of extreme weather events. While multihazard assessments of these extreme weather events enhance the estimation of hazard susceptibility, it must be coupled with identifying institutional barriers of managing the land-river interface. Thus, this study has carried out a multihazard susceptibility assessment based on landslide and flood susceptibility in the Sutlej-Beas River basin and prepared flood and landslide susceptibility maps using eleven causative parameters through a bivariate statistical frequency ratio (FR) model. This statistical evaluation of hazard susceptibility from multiple factors is supplemented by identifying the key barriers of managing the land-river interface, producing a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges of mitigating extreme weather-related hazards in a river basin. Nearly 51% of the study area was identified as susceptible to landslide while 43% was under flood and 48% area was observed under multihazard susceptibility. Landslides, floods, and multihazard followed a similar pattern of spatial distribution where elevation, population, drainage density, stream power index (SPI), and rainfall were identified as the contributing parameters. Changing attitudes of people toward rivers, lack of coordination among different stakeholders, and deficit funds were identified as prominent barriers in the case of land-river management. Susceptibility maps generated in this study will help in identifying the areas under hazard susceptibility while the identified institutional barriers may guide towards contextual sustainable planning of the basin and attainment of sustainable development goals.