摘要：Landslides cause major loss of human lives and livelihoods; the destruction of economic and social infrastructure, as well as environmental damages. Disasters have a significant negative impact on agriculture land by depleting soil health leading to reduced crop productivity. This study aims to evaluate the impact of the massive Attabad landslide on soil physico-chemical parameters in upper Hunza, in northern Pakistan. The investigated soil properties were pH, Soil Organic Carbon (SOC), Nitrate-Nitrogen (NO3-N) Electrical Conductivity (EC), Available Phosphorus (P), exchangeable Potassium (K), silt, sand, and clay content. Soil samples were randomly collected from both the disturbed and undisturbed soil at the depth of 0-15cm. The independent T test revealed significant differences in the soil properties due to landslide effect. SOC and NO3-N were significantly higher (p=0.002 and 0.05) in landslide unaffected compared to affected soil. Similarly soil texture also changed significantly as a result of the landslide, as sand dominate in affected and loam in unaffected soils. The changes in soil texture and physico-chemical properties seem to have direct and indirect effects on soil fertility, ultimately deteriorating the soil health. Therefore, this study suggests that whenever a soil survey is conducted in a mountainous landscape, the land sliding effect must be considered along with other environmental attributes to gain a better understanding of soil properties. Future studies must be done to evaluate the patterns of the restoration of soil properties in landslide affected areas to understand and improve the soil health for better crop production and improved livelihood of disaster-affected mountain communities.
