Researchers from IIT-BHU’s Department of Architecture, Planning and Design conducted the study titled Spatial Assessment of Flood Vulnerability in Visakhapatnam City, India by Integrating GIS and AHP Techniques.
The study was published in the proceedings of the SUPTM 2026 conference.
Researchers assessed flood vulnerability at the ward level using GIS and AHP methods.
The assessment considered elevation, slope, distance from rivers and the sea, drainage density, road density, rainfall, vegetation cover and distance from hospitals.
The study classified the city’s wards into five categories: very high, high, moderate, low and very low vulnerability.
26 wards were placed in the very-high-vulnerability category, while 38 wards were classified as highly vulnerable.
The researchers noted that areas closer to rivers generally recorded greater vulnerability.
Lower elevation and dense road networks were among the factors associated with higher vulnerability.
Some high-vulnerability areas were found to form west-east and north-south corridors across the city.
The study also found that some vulnerable areas correspond with zones experiencing higher rainfall intensity.
Researchers stressed that the study’s vulnerability measure is a composite assessment, rather than simply an estimate of where flooding is most likely to occur.
The findings provide ward-level information that can be considered in urban drainage, infrastructure and flood-management planning.