Regional Sustainability ›› 2026, Vol. 7 ›› Issue (1): 100299.doi: 10.1016/j.regsus.2026.100299

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Spatial differentiation and risk zonation of debris flow hazards in Tajikistan

JIA Wenjuna, CHEN Ningshenga,*(), XUE Yanga, WANG Zhihana, WEN Taoa, GUO Rub, Safaralizoda NOSIRc, Aminjon GULAKHMADOVd   

  1. aInternational Cooperation Center for Mountain Multi-Disasters Prevention and Engineering Safety, School of Geosciences, Yangtze University, Wuhan, 430100, China
    bSchool of Geosciences, Yangtze University, Wuhan, 430100, China
    cInstitute of Geology, Earthquake-Resistant Construction and Seismology, National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, 734000, Tajikistan
    dInstitute of Water Problems, Hydropower and Ecology of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, 734000, Tajikistan
  • Received:2025-10-09 Revised:2025-12-22 Accepted:2026-01-05 Published:2026-02-28 Online:2026-01-21
  • Contact: CHEN Ningsheng E-mail:chennsh@yangtzeu.edu.cn

Abstract:

Debris flow events are frequent in Tajikistan, yet comprehensive investigations at the regional scale are limited. This study integrates remote sensing, Geographic Information System, and machine learning techniques to evaluate debris flow susceptibility and associated hazards across Tajikistan. A dataset comprising 405 documented debris flow points and 14 influencing factors, encompassing geological, climatic-hydrological, and anthropogenic variables, was established. Three machine learning algorithms—Random Forest, Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Multi-layer Perceptron—were applied to generate susceptibility maps and delineate debris flow risk zones. The results indicate that the areas of higher and high susceptibility accounted for 20.43% and 4.41% of the national area, respectively, and were predominantly concentrated along the Zeravshan and Vakhsh river basins. Among the evaluated models, SVM model demonstrated the highest predictive performance. Beyond conventional topographic and environmental controls, drought conditions were identified as a critical factor influencing debris flow occurrence within the arid and semi-arid mountainous regions of Tajikistan. These findings provide a scientific basis for regional debris flow risk management and disaster mitigation planning, and offer practical guidance for selecting conditioning factors in machine-learning-based susceptibility assessments in other dry mountainous environments.

Key words: Debris flow, Susceptibility, Assessment, Risk zonation, Machine learning, Drought, Central Asia