Application of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) for flood susceptibility mapping using GIS techniques in Thamirabarani river basin, Srivaikundam region, Southern India

Flood susceptibility mapping is required for assessing flood risk areas and developing flood prevention techniques. The Thamirabarani river basin, a flood-prone area in the Tamil Nadu region of Srivaikundam, was investigated. Flood risk assessment using a composite risk and vulnerability index is a well-established tool that plays an important role in the development of flood risk reduction schemes. The present research is an attempt to analyze flood risk using analytical hierarchy procedures in a geographic information system context, which includes flood hazard components and susceptibility indicators. Geographic information system (GIS) are currently a trusted and useful tool for defining flood susceptibility maps at various spatial scales. The accuracy of various GIS-based flood risk assessment techniques is compared in this article. Land use and land cover, drainage density, topographic wetness index, distance from rivers, river length, slope, DEM, and rainfall were the eight foundation layers that were generated from the geographical database. All of the thematic layers and the resulting flood frequency map were combined to create the flood susceptibility using a GIS platform. Flood-vulnerable areas have been classified as very low class (1.7%), low class (26.3%), medium class (42.1%), high class (24%), and very high class (5.9%). The flood susceptibility study with this model will be a very beneficial and efficient tool for creating flood mitigation measures, according to local government administrators, researchers, and planners.