Assessing the instability of Dong Nai River in Bien Hoa District using Bank Erosion Hazard Index (BEHI) and Remote Sensing and GIS

Abstract

Abstract. In this study, a method for developing a quantitative prediction of river bank erosion in Bien Hoa district in Dong Nai River is presented. The river bank erosion hazard index (BEHI) was estimated to assess the stability of the river bank erosion in consultation with bank height, bank slope, rooting depth, rooting density and surface protection. The estimated BEHI of Dong Nai River in Bien Hoa district are high which indicates the riverbank instability. The estimated BEHI along the left bank is about 25–30. The satellite data of LANSAT TM 5, LANDSAT ETM 7 for the year 1995, 2005 and 2015 were used to assess the nature of shifting of the river bank and to estimate the land loss from river bank. All the derived images were transported on GIS environment to extract the course of the river. 13 sites were considered along the Dong Nai River in Bien Hoa District to estimate the leftward shifting of the bank line and to assess the shifting distance of the river bank line. There is a strong relationship between bank instability BEHI, shifting distance of the bank line and eroded bank area in this study.