Evaluación del riesgo frente a deslizamientos en la comunidad de Zumbahuayco, cantón Azogues, provincia de Cañar.

Abstract

The Zumbahuayco community experiences recurrent landslides caused by unstable soils, steep slopes, and intense rainfall. These events endanger the safety of 1,025 inhabitants, compromise infrastructure, disrupt agro-livestock economic activities, and pose a significant threat to the environmental sustainability of the area. The risk assessment of landslides in the community aims to identify susceptible areas and propose strategies to mitigate impacts, thus promoting sustainable development. This study is justified by the community's vulnerability, conditioned by geological, climatic, and land use factors. Advanced techniques such as electrical resistivity tomography, geotechnical tests, and infinite slope model analysis were applied. Additionally, census and geographic data were integrated using geographic information systems (GIS) for a comprehensive analysis. The results indicate that the areas of greatest threat are located on steep slopes characterized by low-cohesion sandy soils. The factor of safety (FS) analysis showed a marked decrease in stability at depths greater than 10 meters, coinciding with areas historically affected by landslides. Furthermore, 63 houses at risk were identified, mainly distributed in the sectors of Pedregal, Portete, and Rayoloma. It is concluded that the community requires urgent measures such as adequate drainage systems, stricter construction regulations, and an early warning system (EWS) to strengthen risk management. These actions are essential to protect the population and reduce exposure to future disasters. Keywords: Landslides, factor of safety, risk management, exposure, stability, EWS.