Integrated Flood Hazard Assessment Using AHP-GIS in the Pallikaranai Marshland–Buckingham Canal Corridor, India

Abstract

The resultant impact of climate change and urbanization has caused extensive disruption to natural hydrological processes, thus enhancing flood risk in susceptible areas. This research evaluates flood processes in the Pallikaranai Marshland–Buckingham Canal corridor using a detailed flood inundation modeling and risk assessment methodology. Important geospatial factors and variables such as rainfall, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), slope, Land Use Land Cover (LULC), river distance, flow length, and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) were weighed and ranked. These weighted parameters were assimilated in order to estimate the Flood Hazard Index (FHI), subsequently being applied for creation of an intricately mapped flood hazard. The analysis and testing of the involved parameters by assessing flood susceptibility has been facilitated with hydrological modeling, Geographic Information System (GIS), as well as with the re-mote sensing procedures. The findings suggest that urban growth has resulted in extensive wetland degradation, elevated surface runoff, and more frequent flooding, especially during intense rainfalls. The FHI-based flood hazard map identifies critical areas at risk of being flooded, pointing out the explicit role played by land cover changes in flood intensity and frequency. The study underscores the urgent need for sustainable urban planning, wet-land conservation, and climate-resilient infrastructure to mitigate flood hazards and enhance long-term urban flood resilience in the region. These results help to better understand urban flood hazards and offer a scientific foundation for future flood management.