Landslide assessment for land use planning and infrastructure management in the Paphos District of Cyprus

The Paphos District has been described as one of the most landslide-prone areas of Cyprus, with landslides impacting villages, roads and other infrastructure. With increasing levels of development and investment in infrastructure, Cypriot authorities are investigating ways to assess landslide susceptibility, hazard and risk for planning purposes. A 2-year project has catalogued over 1,840 landslides, investigated the spatial distribution of key landslide attributes, and used the results to develop maps of landslide susceptibility across large areas of the Paphos District. To gain a better understanding of the materials and failure mechanisms involved, 20 of these landslides were selected for further study, including engineering geological mapping, ground investigation, laboratory testing, development of ground models and slope stability analysis at specific locations. The results enabled soil parameters to be reviewed, thus strengthening the interpretations derived from field observations. The use of the mapping outputs is discussed in terms of planning and engineering applications and recommendations are made for strengthening and expanding the landslide database.