Flood hazard risk zoning through AHP, GIS, and RS: A case study of Ramganaga River Basin (India)

Abstract

Flooding emerges as a prominent natural disaster, posing a significant global concern due to its increasing frequency, leading to elevated mortality rates and considerable economic losses. Various methods have been developed and proposed for assessing the risk of flooding. India, much like several other nations, confronts persistent challenges from annual floods, particularly in Himalayan river catchments. This study aims to harness GIS spatial analysis functions coupled with an AHP-based MCDM method, incorporating considerations from 14 different parameters spanning hydro-geomorphological, geological, climatological, physiological, and demographic aspects. The resulting output categorizes the entire basin into five distinct flooding risk zones, delineating very high, high, moderate, low, and no flooding risk. The developed flooding risk zone map highlights a substantial area, with approximately 10.2% falling under the category of very high risk and 17.8% identified as highly susceptible to flooding. The delineation of flooding zones in the current assessment of the Ramganga River basin proves advantageous for implementing effective measures in the strategic planning of flooding risk management.