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Arid Land Geography ›› 2026, Vol. 49 ›› Issue (4): 816-829.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2025.238

• Disaster Research • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Integrated risk zoning for accurate disaster management at the watershed scale

ZHANG Jingxin1(), ZHOU Lei1(), HU Senmiao1, YU Yang1, LIU Jinghui2, WU Jianjun3   

  1. 1 School of Surveying and Mapping and Urban Spatial Informatics, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 102616, China
    2 School of Emergency Technology and Management, Institute of Disaster Prevention, Beijing 101601, China
    3 Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
  • Received:2025-05-06 Revised:2025-05-26 Online:2026-04-25 Published:2026-04-28
  • Contact: ZHOU Lei E-mail:2108160323005@stu.bucea.edu.cn;zhoulei@bucea.edu.cn

Abstract:

Risk zoning, a key method in disaster risk management, plays a significant role in the accurate identification of disaster risks and scientific allocation of disaster prevention resources. Accordingly, a risk zoning model was constructed employing a three-level system of “disaster-prone environmental sensitivity, natural disaster impact significance, and disaster risk levels” and applied to natural geographical data, disaster statistics, and field survey data for the Ili River Basin in Xinjiang, a typical watershed, using a 1 km grid, to conduct comprehensive risk zoning for major disaster types in the basin. This study employed 12 evaluation indicators corresponding to 3 categories of factors to divide the region into 3 disaster-prone environmental sensitivity zones, 9 natural disaster significant impact zones, and 26 comprehensive risk zones to conduct an in-depth analysis of specific disaster types. The accuracy of the results was validated using field data and survey questionnaires. The results indicate that (1) The comprehensive disaster risk in the Ili River Basin shows an east-high, west-low trend, with significant spatial differences. (2) Multiple types of disasters frequently occur in the basin, including floods, geological disasters, droughts, and snow disasters. (3) The zoning results are consistent with historical data and relevant studies in terms of overall spatial distribution and the representation of typical disaster types. Unlike more macro-scale national disaster risk assessments, this study was conducted on the scale of a watershed to take into consideration the unique geological structure, climate characteristics, and other disaster-prone environmental factors of the study area. By constructing a risk zoning system tailored to the local context, this study was intended to enhance the precision and effectiveness of local disaster risk management and ensure the sustainable development of the region’s ecological economy.

Key words: watershed scale, disaster management, zoning, comprehensive disaster risk, Ili River Basin