Land 2023, 12, 140. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12010140 www.mdpi.com/journal/land Article Assessing and Mapping Spatial Variation Characteristics of Natural Hazards in Pakistan Muhammad Awais Hussain 1,2, , Shuai Zhang 1, *, Muhammad Muneer 3 , Muhammad Aamir Moawwez 4 , Muhammad Kamran 5 and Ejaz Ahmed 6 1 College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Rd, Hangzhou 310058, China 2 Department of Civil Engineering Technology, National Skills University, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan 3 School of Civil Engineering, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China 4 School of Civil Engineering, Shandong University, Jingshi Road 17922, Jinan 250061, China 5 Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, China 6 Department of Geography, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, Pakistan * Correspondence: zhangshuaiqj@zju.edu.cn; Tel.: +86-13989890804 Abstract: One nation with the highest risk of climate catastrophes is Pakistan. Pakistan’s geograph- ical nature makes it susceptible to natural hazards. Pakistan is facing regional differences in terms of climate change. The frequency and intensity of natural hazards due to climate change vary from place to place. There is an urgent need to recognize the spatial variations in natural hazards inside the country. To address such problems, it might be useful to map out the areas that need resources to increase resilience and accomplish adaptability. Therefore, the main goal of this research was to create a district-level map that illustrates the multi-hazard zones of various regions in Pakistan. In order to comprehend the geographical differences in climate change and natural hazards across Pakistan, this study examines the relevant literature and data currently available regarding the oc- currence of natural hazards in the past. Firstly, a district-level comprehensive database of Pakistan’s five natural hazards (floods, droughts, earthquakes, heatwaves, and landslides) was created. Through consultation with specialists in related areas, hazard and weighting factors for a specific hazard were specified based on the structured district-level historical disaster database of Pakistan. After that, individual and multi-hazard ratings were computed for each district. Then, using esti- mated multi-hazard scores, the districts of Pakistan were classified into four zones. Finally, a map of Pakistan’s multi-hazard zones was created per district. The study results are essential and signif- icant for policymakers to consider when making decisions on disaster management techniques, that is, when organizing disaster preparedness, mitigation, and prevention plans. Keywords: natural hazards; climate change; spatial analysis; multi-hazard zoning; Pakistan 1. Introduction If global warming increases by 1.5 °C in the near future, it will surely intensify a variety of climatic catastrophes and present several natural hazards to ecosystems and humans [1]. The impacts and hazards associated with climate change are growing more complex and challenging to control. Hundreds of millions of people’s livelihoods, food security, and nutrition are already negatively impacted by climate change, particularly in low- and mid-latitude regions [2–4]. Natural catastrophes, such as floods, droughts, tsu- namis, storms, and tornadoes, often occur due to global climate change [5–7]. By 2050, Pakistan and the northern regions of India and China are anticipated to experience greater water stress [1,8–10]. Due to climatic extremes, including floods, droughts, and heat- waves, farmers in Pakistan see reductions in agricultural yields and an increase in crop Citation: Hussain, M.A.; Zhang, S.; Muneer, M.; Moawwez, M.A.; Kamran, M.; Ahmed, E. Assessing and Mapping Spatial Variation Characteristics of Natural Hazards in Pakistan. Land 2023, 12, 140. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12010140 Academic Editors: Israel R. Orimoloye, Adeyemi Oludapo Olusola, Chaitanya B. Pande Received: 26 November 2022 Revised: 20 December 2022 Accepted: 20 December 2022 Published: 31 December 2022 Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Li- censee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and con- ditions of the Creative Commons At- tribution (CC BY) license (https://cre- ativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).