Review of the use of the analytical hierarchy process for flood risk assessment in Bangladesh

Assessing flood risk is crucial for disaster preparedness, particularly given the increasing weather variability observed in recent decades. Bangladesh regularly experiences heavy flooding that results in major environmental and socioeconomic damage. Achieving complete control over flooding is not realistic, thus research on flood vulnerability and risk assessment is essential to reduce flood losses. To achieve this, multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) has proven to be an effective technique for integrating multiple criteria and stakeholder preferences into the assessment process. In line with this, this literature review analyzes the use of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a useful MCDA approach, to assess flood risk, focusing on its methodology, benefits, and limitations. In particular, past studies set in Bangladesh that employed the AHP for flood risk analysis are collected and compared. This paper also assesses the indicators used in flood risk assessment, including hydrological, socioeconomic, and environmental factors, and offers recommendations for further research to enhance the effectiveness and practicality of the AHP in flood risk assessment, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary collaboration and advanced modeling techniques. The findings suggest that this method can accurately assess flood vulnerability in flood-prone areas, thus assisting in the establishment of effective plans and strategies to mitigate the effects of floods. However, accurate flood risk assessment should not depend only on hazard calculation and single vulnerability estimates. It is essential to consider the flood hazard exposure level and different susceptibility types to gain more precise results for specific flood zones and the impacted population.