Comprehensive Analysis for the Evaluation of Torrential Floods and Slope Stability of River Channels: La China River Area (Colombia)

Torrential floods are mass movements triggered by extreme rainfall events. Combined with geological and slope conditions, these events mobilize sediments located within and around the channel, evolving into large‐scale processes that impact communities and progressively destabilize surrounding slopes. This study proposes and applies a comprehensive methodological framework for evaluating torrential flood hazards. Although existing methodologies assess such events based on geological, geomorphological, hydrological, and land cover conditions, they often overlook the dynamic interaction between channel evolution, lateral scour, sediment transport, and progressive slope destabilization over time. In this context, the study incorporates the concept of Accumulated Geotechnical Deterioration (AGD) associated with recurrent torrential and erosive processes affecting the channel–slope system. The methodology is applied to the La China River in the Cortinas sector (Toledo, Colombia), identifying high hazard levels at the stream's confluence and headwaters. The research demonstrates the importance of integrating sediment load estimation, multitemporal evaluation of fluvial dynamics and slope stability to better understand the relationship between progressive instability processes and hazard levels in the study area.