Assessment of Flood Hazard Zone Using Remote Sensing & GIS – A Case Study of Panchganga River Basin, Kolhapur District, Maharashtra

Abstract

A flood is a natural hazard on our planet that occurs when water overtops a stream's natural or manmade banks. Floodplains are generally affected by overtopped banks, which often cause problems for residents, crops, and vegetation. Although flood hazards cannot be controlled, we can safeguard and save lives, property, and other resources if we are aware of the threat with the help and advancement of recent technology. GIS is an influential tool that can be used to identify flood risk zone essential for planning and management against this natural hazard. Panchganga river basin is one of the main river basins in southwest Maharashtra. Using satellite (Sentinel 2 & DEM) images, associated base maps (Geology, Soil, River basin, & Toposheet), along with taluka wise rainfall data, the flood hazard map was prepared in the GIS environment with the aid of Arc GIS. The weighted overlay analysis method was followed to prepare the final flood hazard map using suitable feature class weighted values. This map is divided into five classes: Very High, High, Moderate, Low, and Very Low. Key findings of this study suggest that the downstream portion of the Panchganga river basin towards the eastern region is categorized into high to very high flood hazard risk zone which includes parts of Karvir, Hatkanangale, and Shirol taluka. The western region including parts of Bavda, Radhanagari, Panhala, and Shahuwadi lies under a moderate to high flood hazard zone. This study will thus help concerned authorities to formulate their development strategies according to the areas at risk.