GIS Based�Flood Hazard and�Risk Assessment Using Multi Criteria Decision Making�Approach�in�Rapti River Watershed, India

• Main Authors: Khan R., Anwar J., said S., Ansari S., Pathan A.I., Sidek L.M.
• Other Authors: 58783458600
• Format: Conference Paper
• Published: Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH 2024
• Subjects: AHP; Flood risk; Flood�hazard; GIS; Rapti River; Decision making; Floods; Hazards; Hierarchical systems; Land use; Maps; Population statistics; Risk assessment; Rivers; Watersheds; Analytical Hierarchy Process; Flood hazards; Flood risks; Land use/land cover; Multi criteria decision-making; Multicriteria decision-making; Multicriterion decision makings; Rapti river; Risk intensities; River watersheds; Geographic information systems

The flood is a�catastrophic event that causes losses in�life and property. The magnitude of food-related losses has prompted researchers to place a greater emphasis on robust and comprehensive modelling techniques for mitigating food damage. Recently developed multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) techniques are extensively used to make decision-making processes more collaborative, logical, and efficient. The Rapti River is among the most flood-prone rivers in North-Eastern Uttar Pradesh, where numerous villages and towns are annually inundated by monsoon flooding. The present�study is undertaken with an aim�to�identify and map areas of�flood hazard and risk in the Rapti River watershed by employing MCDM�based analytical hierarchy process (AHP) approach�within GIS interface.�Flood hazard analysis was carried out by considering�eight hazard indicators�namely Height above�nearest drainage, distance from river, elevation, land use�land cover, slope, soil�type, drainage density and rainfall. The�analysis of flood risk was�performed�by employing�flood hazard layer, population density, and�land use land cover as risk indicators. A�weighed overlay approach was implemented�to prepare flood hazard and risk�maps of the study area. The results of the analysis showed that around 57.61% and 62.67% of the study region fall within the moderate category of flood hazard and risk intensity respectively. Furthermore, significantly high i.e.,�27.57% and 12.75% of the study region fall into the category of high�hazard and risk intensity respectively.�The findings of this study suggest that the integration of AHP and GIS techniques provides an effective tool for decision making procedures in flood hazard and risk mapping, as it enables a coherent and effective use of spatial data. � 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.