Risk assessment on the land subsidence in Beijing

ABSTRACT Land subsidence is a main kind of urban geological disasters, and is significantly serious in Beijing, which is induced by over pumping of groundwater continuously. It is becoming a negative effect on the sustainable economic development in plain areas. In consideration of a series of damages caused by land subsidence, risk assessment and zoning are very important for risk management. In this paper, we establish a hazard assessment model of land subsidence in Beijing using the AHP-Fuzzy method. Th e evaluation method is based on Remote Se nsing and GIS technology. Remote sensing technology was used to retrieve the parameters of land subsidence from ASAR data. The AHP-Fuzzy assessment model was analyzed by taking a GIS-based modeling approach. Finally, a case study was carried out in Miyun-Huairou-Shunyi area of Beijing. As a result, the risk index of each study area was extracted by means of the AHP-Fuzzy method. Then the risk level of land subsidence was analyzed using the dimensional analytical method. It indicates that the risk of land subsidence in Beijing is inevitable. This result is useful for land subsidence disaster prevention and reduction. Key words: land subsidence, remote sensing, GI S, risk assessment, AHP-Fuzzy method