Climate change may increase landslide risk by up to 25% in the Göta river valley

Increasing landslide events in the Göta river valley, combined with future climate changes led the Swedish government to address the issue, by funding the Swedish Geotechnical Institute (SGI) to map the landslide risk in the area. According to the report's conclusions, 25% of the mapped areas have a higher risk level of landslide occurrence by the year 2100, which urges for suitable geotechnical measures. 

The area of Göta river includes residential areas and industries which in case of a natural disaster may have detrimental effects for the environment and the 700,000 people who depend on the river for drinking water. For the purposes of the study, 11,000 properties were marked as well as the major highways and railways of the area were included. The study begun in 2009 and was completed a few months ago, referring to a total of 240 cross sections long the 200km river bank. Overall, more that 4,000 soil and sediments samples were collected and 20,000 lab experiments were performed in order to assess the current and future landslide risk.

Bo Lind, from the Swedish Geotechnical Institute (SGI) stated: "It is important to get started with geotechnical measures as soon as possible" and estimates that measures will cost between 5 and 6 billion SEK in the most vulnerable areas.

The report is open to the public and can be accessed here.