GIS and Remote Sensing Based Approach for Urban Flood Plain Mapping and Tapi Catchment

Abstract

In India, flood occurs typically during monsoon season due to heavy tropical storms downpour and unregulated urban development. The floods during August 2006 in Tapi catchment caused greater damage to personal and property resulting into 300 people being killed and USS 4.5 billion value property damage. In this paper, geospatial technologies such as remote sensing, GIS, and GPS have been utilised to prepare urban flood hazard maps and to handle entity specific query and analysis. The research methodology employed is based on statistical probabilities of flood-fi-equency, maximum discharge carrying capacity at river cross-section, mapping of inhabited areas based on high resolution images, and terrain mapping using global position system. It is estimated that for a mean flood height of 10m as 35-years return period, more than 80% land in west and south-west zone will be under flood against 40% in central, 33% in northern and 15% in eastern zones.