Rapid identification of flood-prone settlements in the Eastern Mediterranean Basin in Turkey

Abstract

Territories and settlements in low plains are at risk of flooding. Therefore, determining the areas at risk of flooding before preparing city plans or country development plans is essential. The number of hydrological models is increasing day by day; on the other hand, the solution of these models requires too many parameters. Long-term measurements are required to perform flood analysis with these models. However, in some regions, data from previous years may not always be available. Therefore, a method that enables the determination of flood-prone areas in a short time based on historical records is proposed in the current study. In the current study, the Eastern Mediterranean basin has an area of 21,682 km2 was examined. Using geographic information system (GIS) and the current population information (growth trend) as well as evaluating the historical process and archival records, 157 flood-prone settlement areas were identified. Different flood scenarios were examined and settlement areas that needed to be further examined by modeling were digitized. We aimed to create a base for basin-based flood modeling and to provide information about flood-prone areas to local administrators for national and local plans.