مسکن و محیط روستا (Jun 2023)
Preparing a Flood Vulnerability Map using GIS-AHP Approach; Case study: Alamut Rood river basin
Abstract
A flood vulnerability map is a comprehensive tool for predicting and preventing the destructive effects of floods worldwide, especially in areas with a history of recurrent floods. These maps have not been prepared for many River Basin in developing countries and do not currently exist. As there is still a lack of proper understanding of the main factors contributing to flooding, this hazard remains an unresolved issue on a global scale. This research aims to provide insights into the parameters contributing to flooding and their impacts on flood vulnerability in the Alamut-Rood River Basin, using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and ArcGIS Pro software. As the result, four parameters were identified as factors influencing the occurrence of floods in the Alamut-Rood River Basin, namely distance from the river, annual rainfall, slope, and land use. These parameters were prepared in a Geographic Information System (GIS) and after creating a pairwise matrix and conducting ranking, the final weights of the factors were determined. By combining all these flood-causing parameters based on their weights and rankings, a flood hazard zoning map was generated. Based on this, the study area was classified into five hazard zones. 7.3% and 8.2% of the watershed area were classified as very high and high hazard zones respectively. This map was accurately evaluated using historical flood data collected in the study area and by employing the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) statistical evaluation method, and the results confirmed the high accuracy of the produced map. The findings of this research can contribute to gaining a proper understanding of the current flood issue in this River Basin, identifying its underlying causes, and developing effective water management plans.