Journal of Geological Remote Sensing

Flood Hazard Zonation in Shahdad Watershed Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Mahsa Sheikhasadi 1
Mahdieh Hosseinjanizadeh 2
Mehdi Honarmand 3
Reza Hassanzadeh 4

1 Kerman University of Advanced Industrial and Technology Postgraduate Education

2 Associate Professor, Department of Ecology, Institute of Science and High Technology and Environmental Sciences, Graduate University of Advanced Technology, Kerman

3 Associate Professor, Department of Ecology, Institute of Science and High Technology and Environmental Sciences, Graduate University of Advanced Technology, Kerman, Iran.

4 Associate Professor, Department of Ecology, Institute of Science and High Technology and Environmental Sciences, Graduate University of Advanced Technology, Kerman, Iran

https://doi.org/10.48306/jgrs.2026.578129.1025
Abstract
Floods are among the most destructive natural hazards, causing significant damage worldwide each year, particularly in Iran, and affecting numerous communities. Identifying high risk areas is a fundamental step toward mitigating flood impacts. Therefore, the preparation of flood hazard maps is essential for effective flood management and planning. The aim of this study is to assess and zone flood hazards in the Shahdad watershed using remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Flood susceptibility and flood inundation susceptibility maps were produced using processed satellite imagery from Landsat 8 (OLI sensor) and Sentinel 2. In this study, flood susceptibility is defined as the inherent potential of a catchment to generate runoff and produce flood events, whereas flood inundation susceptibility refers to the likelihood of an area being inundated and experiencing water accumulation due to incoming flood flows. To delineate flood hazard zones, the main criteria influencing both flood susceptibility and flood inundation susceptibility were identified through a comprehensive review of previous studies. These criteria included slope, vegetation cover, curvature, land use, geology, drainage density, topographic wetness index (TWI), stream power index (SPI), elevation, distance from the river, presence of obstacles within the river channel, and riverbed profile. Raster maps of each criterion were generated and classified in a GIS environment. The weights of the criteria were determined using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) implemented in Expert Choice software. Subsequently, Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) was applied to produce the final flood susceptibility and flood inundation susceptibility maps. The results indicate that 16%, 26%, 36%, 18%, and 3% of the study area fall into very high, high, moderate, low, and very low flood susceptibility classes, respectively. For flood inundation susceptibility, the corresponding percentages are 10%, 28%, 15%, 26%, and 21%. These findings provide valuable information for flood risk management and spatial planning in the Shahdad watershed.

Keywords

Shahdad
flood hazard zoning
Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)
Remote Sensing
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Journal of Geological Remote Sensing
Volume 3, Issue 1 - Serial Number 3
December 2025
Pages 89-112

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