Estimation of Integrated Flood Vulnerability Index for the Hilly Region of Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

Uttarakhand, a Himalayan state in India, has more than 80% of its area in the hilly regions. Owing to its hilly nature, the state is suffering from different natural calamities such as flash floods and landslides. For mitigating the impact of these natural calamities, the evaluation of the vulnerability of the state is necessary. As such, the primary objective of this study is to prepare a districtwise integrated flood vulnerability map of the state considering social, economic, and environmental factors along with the hydrological factors. The integrated flood vulnerability was estimated and mapped to classify the priority regions of the state for the identification of hot spots in terms of flooding and other disasters. The model incorporated all the factors under different heads such as exposure, susceptibility, and resilience. Moreover, climate change will alter the hydrological factor associated with the vulnerability index. As such, the impact of climate change on integrated flood vulnerability under different Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) scenarios is also evaluated. The evaluation of the results shows that a significant part of the state, around 60%, can be categorized as high vulnerable under the RCP8.5 scenario. The study shows that 20% of the area of the state will be under the shallow and low-risk zone. The district-level flood vulnerability maps prepared under the study should be useful for decision-makers in the planning and implementation of the different disaster mitigation plans of the state.