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Flood Hazard Mapping of a Rapidly Urbanizing City in the Foothills (Birendranagar, Surkhet) of Nepal

Author

Listed:
  • Sushila Rijal

    (Faculty of Humanities and Social Science, Mahendra Ratna Multiple Campus, Ilam 57300, Nepal)

  • Bhagawat Rimal

    (The State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100101, China
    College of Applied Sciences (CAS)-Nepal, Thapathali, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 44613, Nepal)

  • Sean Sloan

    (College of Science and Engineering, Center for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science, James Cook University, Cairns QLD 4870, Australia)

Abstract

Flooding in the rapidly urbanizing city of Birendranagar, Nepal has been intensifying, culminating in massive loss of life and property during July and August 2014. No previous studies have monitored underlying land-cover dynamics and flood hazards for the area. This study described spatiotemporal urbanization dynamics and associated land-use/land-cover (LULC) changes of the city using Landsat imagery classifications for five periods between 1989 and 2016 (1989–1996, 1996–2001, 2001–2011, 2011–2016). Areas with high flood-hazard risk were also identified on the basis of field surveys, literature, and the Landsat analysis. The major LULC changes observed were the rapid expansion of urban cover and the gradual decline of cultivated lands. The urban area expanded nearly by 700%, from 85 ha in 1989 to 656 ha in 2016, with an average annual growth rate of 23.99%. Cultivated land declined simultaneously by 12%, from 7005 ha to 6205 ha. The loss of forest cover also contributed significantly to increased flood hazard. Steep topography, excessive land utilization, fragile physiographic structure, and intense monsoonal precipitation aggravate hazards locally. As in Nepal generally, the sustainable development of the Birendranagar area has been jeopardized by a disregard for integrated flood-hazard mapping, accounting for historical land-cover changes. This study provides essential input information for improved urban-area planning in this regard.

Suggested Citation

  • Sushila Rijal & Bhagawat Rimal & Sean Sloan, 2018. "Flood Hazard Mapping of a Rapidly Urbanizing City in the Foothills (Birendranagar, Surkhet) of Nepal," Land, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-13, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:7:y:2018:i:2:p:60-:d:144798
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Joy Sanyal & X. Lu, 2004. "Application of Remote Sensing in Flood Management with Special Reference to Monsoon Asia: A Review," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 33(2), pages 283-301, October.
    2. Bhagawat Rimal & Lifu Zhang & Hamidreza Keshtkar & Xuejian Sun & Sushila Rijal, 2018. "Quantifying the Spatiotemporal Pattern of Urban Expansion and Hazard and Risk Area Identification in the Kaski District of Nepal," Land, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-22, March.
    3. Bhagawat Rimal & Himlal Baral & Nigel E. Stork & Kiran Paudyal & Sushila Rijal, 2015. "Growing City and Rapid Land Use Transition: Assessing Multiple Hazards and Risks in the Pokhara Valley, Nepal," Land, MDPI, vol. 4(4), pages 1-22, October.
    4. Bhagawat Rimal & Lifu Zhang & Dongjie Fu & Ripu Kunwar & Yongguang Zhai, 2017. "Monitoring Urban Growth and the Nepal Earthquake 2015 for Sustainability of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal," Land, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-23, June.
    5. Bhagawat Rimal & Lifu Zhang & Nigel Stork & Sean Sloan & Sushila Rijal, 2018. "Urban Expansion Occurred at the Expense of Agricultural Lands in the Tarai Region of Nepal from 1989 to 2016," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-19, April.
    6. Elisa Muzzini & Gabriela Aparicio, 2013. "Urban Growth and Spatial Transition in Nepal : An Initial Assessment," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 13110, December.
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    Cited by:

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    4. George D. Bathrellos & Hariklia D. Skilodimou, 2019. "Land Use Planning for Natural Hazards," Land, MDPI, vol. 8(9), pages 1-4, August.
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    6. Amrit Prasad Sharma & Xudong Fu & Giri R. Kattel, 2023. "Is there a progressive flood risk management in Nepal? A synthesis based on the perspective of a half-century (1971–2020) flood outlook," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 118(2), pages 903-923, September.
    7. Divas B. Basnyat & Dibesh Shrestha & Srijana Thapa & Shreya Bajimaya & Monica Maharjan & Shankar Shrestha & Shashwat Dhungana, 2020. "Post-Flood Assessment of the 2019 Flooding in the Bagmati River Basin, Nepal," Journal of Development Innovations, KarmaQuest International, vol. 4(1), pages 20-47, July.
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    9. George D. Bathrellos & Hariklia D. Skilodimou & Konstantinos Soukis & Efterpi Koskeridou, 2018. "Temporal and Spatial Analysis of Flood Occurrences in the Drainage Basin of Pinios River (Thessaly, Central Greece)," Land, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-18, September.

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