Development of Flood Hazard Index (FHI) of the Kelantan River Catchment Using Geographic Information System (GIS) Based Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)

Abstract

Kelantan has been facing several cases of catastrophic flooding, causing significant damage to this area. Heavy monsoon rainfall is believed to trigger those floods. This study aims to identify and classify the flood occurrence using the Kelantan River catchment’s flood hazard index (FHI) based on the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). This study developed the FHI using the AHP based on spatial analysis in the geographic information system (GIS) environment. Six physical parameters were selected: annual rainfall, slope, river density, land use and land cover (LULC); elevation; and soil permeability. According to the AHP model, the annual rainfall was the first ranked parameter in terms of importance weight score. Moreover, Tanah Merah and Jeli were the high-risk areas for floods. The present study suggests that the GIS-based AHP method can be highly effective for mapping flood hazards and benefit flood management decision-making.