Assessing Flood Hazard at River Basin Scale with an Index-Based Approach: The Case of Mouriki, Greece

Olga Patrikaki,Thomas Patsialis,Ioannis Kougias,Nerantzis Kazakis,Konstantinos Voudouris,Nicolaos Theodossiou

doi:10.3390/geosciences8020050

Olga Patrikaki, Thomas Patsialis + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences8020050

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Abstract

Defining flood-prone areas is particularly important for policy makers, in order to design mitigation strategies and implement flood risk management planning. The present research applies a multicriteria index method to assess flood hazard areas at a river basin scale, in a geographic information system (GIS) environment. The developed methodology has been applied for an area in northeastern Greece, by processing information of seven parameters: flow accumulation, distance from the drainage network, elevation, land use, rainfall intensity and geology. The method assigns a relative importance to each of the parameters for the occurrence and magnitude of flooding, and the relevant weight values are defined through an “analytical hierarchy process”. Subsequently, and according to the relative importance of each index, the spatial information is superimposed, resulting in a flood hazard map of the studied region, an area in northern Greece. The obtained results indicate flood-prone zones, with a very high flood hazard mainly occurring at the lowlands in the vicinity of the drainage network. The provided flood hazard map supports planning activities and mitigation plans that are crucial to protect both the agricultural activities and existing infrastructure from future flood events.

Highlights

Flood events affect numerous people in the world, approximately 170 million people per year [1].They affect crop production and infrastructure in cities and rural areas
The acquired values have been processed in order to calculate the relative significance of each criterion and the corresponding weighting factor (w). These relative weights were determined through an analytical hierarchical process (AHP), detailed information of which is available in [11]
The FIGUSED-S method was mainly developed for regional hazard assessment

Summary

Introduction

Flood events affect numerous people in the world, approximately 170 million people per year [1]. They affect crop production and infrastructure in cities and rural areas. Recent estimations show that the frequency of extreme floods is expected to increase by the year 2100 [2]. In Greece, floods are a significant natural hazard; in recent decades, a number of flood events have been recorded jeopardizing existing infrastructure, agricultural land and citizens’ lives. Population growth, the development of settlements in remote areas and the general increase in built infrastructure have increased the potential impact of the flood hazard.

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