Flood Risk Assessment and Mapping in the Hadejia River Basin, Nigeria, Using Hydro-Geomorphic Approach and Multi-Criterion Decision-Making Method

Abstract

Flood risk management is crucial for climate change resilience. The Hadejia River basin is known for severe and frequent floods, which have destroyed houses and farmlands and claimed many lives. This study developed a GIS-based flood risk and vulnerability mapping assessment using the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) to outline scenarios that reduce risk and vulnerability associated with floods in the Hadejia River basin. The risk mapping of the basin integrated seven hydro-geomorphological indicators influencing extreme events (elevation, mean annual rainfall, slope, distance from rivers, soil type, and drainage density) and six socio-economic vulnerability indicators (population density, female population density, literacy rate, land use, employment rate, and road network) using a multi-criterion analysis. The average annual rainfall data of 36 years (1982–2018) were used for flood plain mapping in this study. Combining the flood hazard and socio-economic vulnerability indices of the basin revealed high-to-very high flood risk in the downstream and central upstream portions of the basin, which cover about 43.4% of the basin area. The local areas of Auyo, Guri, Hadejia, Ringim, Kafin Hausa, and Jahun were identified as zones at a very high flood risk. The study also revealed that flood hazard and vulnerability indicators have different influences on flood risk. The validated results resonate with the records of previous flood distribution studies of the basin. This research study is significantly important for developing strategic measures and policy revision through which the government and relief agencies may reduce the negative impact of floods in the Hadejia River basin.

The Role of Information and Communication Technology in Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation.

“…Such systems streamline decision-making, ensuring a coordinated response (Damaševičius et al, 2023;Garba and Ahmadu, 2015). For instance, during flooding, data on water levels, road accessibility, and population density can guide rescue operations, ensuring resources are directed where they are most crucial (Arrighi et al, 2019Shuaibu et al, 2022.…”

Flood Risk Assessment for an Irrigation Project in Odissa, India

“…These spatial analyses provide invaluable insights into vulnerable areas within irrigation infrastructure, assisting decision-makers and stakeholders in formulating effective risk assessment and management strategies. Moreover, GIS can be used to visualize flood scenarios and their potential impacts, facilitating clearer communication and better-informed decision-making (18,19) . Considering increasing impact of climate change, which has led to altered precipitation patterns and an elevated frequency of extreme weather events (20,21) , the development and implementation of robust flood risk assessment methodologies have never been more critical (22) .…”

Frequency-Based Flood Risk Assessment and Mapping of a Densely Populated Kano City in Sub-Saharan Africa Using MOVE Framework

“…There are a number of multi-criteria evaluation concepts that are being used in assessing social vulnerability such as the Analytical Hierarchy Process [29,30] and the method for the improvement of vulnerability in Europe (MOVE) framework [18]. In the MOVE framework, a characterization of vulnerability is performed through three key factors, namely, (1) exposure, (2) susceptibility, and (3) lack of resilience [18].…”