Methods and Approaches of Flood Susceptibility Assessment and Mapping: A Review in Geographical Perspective

Abstract

AbstractFlood is one of the most common natural disasters having a devastating effect on human beings and their livelihood. Flood susceptibility assessment and zonation are necessary for flood prevention and mitigation strategies. To predict the probability and vulnerability of flood, essential steps are flood susceptibility mapping and zonation. The main objective of this work is to examine the application of different approaches that have been used for flood hazard assessment in different parts of the world. The major hydrological methods include statistical models, machine learning algorithms, and hybridized models. GIS and RS in integration with these models make it easier to predict future floods and identify the flood-prone areas. To overcome the limitations of a single method, hybridization of models has been introduced. This chapter is divided into six sections and the first section gives an introduction to the chapter. The second explains a global overview of flood disasters. Flood and flood susceptibility in Pakistan are discussed in the third section. The fourth portion of the chapter gives a detailed explanation of models and approaches used in the susceptibility mapping of flood hazards. The fifth section deals with the merits and demerits of the models, whereas the conclusion and way forward are illustrated in the last part of the chapter.KeywordsFlood susceptibility modelingHydro-meteorological disasterGeographic information systemRemote sensingFlood susceptibility index