Flood Susceptibility Analysis for Sylhet Area in the Surma River Basin of Bangladesh
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64862/Keywords:
Flood, Susceptibility, Sylhet, Surma River basin, BangladeshAbstract
Floods are among the most destructive natural hazards, causing severe loss of life, property damage, and economic disruption. Bangladesh, situated in the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna (GBM) delta, is particularly vulnerable, and the Sylhet District in the northeast has experienced increasingly frequent and severe floods. This study focuses on Sylhet due to its high flood susceptibility and seeks to identify the key physical and human-induced factors contributing to flood hazards. Although previous research has examined individual drivers, integrated assessments that also incorporate community perspectives remain limited. To address this gap, a mixed-method approach was adopted. Primary data was collected through a questionnaire survey of 400 respondents, supported by secondary data sets and field observation. Eight major influencing parameters were selected and analyzed using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to assign relative weights. Elevation, slope, and rainfall emerged as the most influential factors. Weighted thematic layers were combined using a Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) model in a GIS environment to produce the Flood Susceptibility Index (FSI). The results show that approximately 60% of Sylhet District falls under high to very high flood susceptibility zones, with Companiganj and Bishwanath being the most affected. The findings offer important insights for planning and implementing effective flood management strategies.
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