Flood Assessment and Identification of Emergency Evacuation Routes in Seti River Basin, Nepal

Bhabana Thapa, Teiji Watanabe and Dhananjay Regmi
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Bhabana Thapa: Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
Teiji Watanabe: Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
Dhananjay Regmi: Himalayan Research Center and Nepal Tourism Board, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-33

Abstract: Sudden floods frequently occur in the Himalayas under changing climates. Rapid glacial melt has resulted in the formation of glacial lakes and associated hazards. This research aimed to (1) identify flood-prone houses, (2) determine pedestrian emergency evacuation routes, and (3) analyze their relationships to socioeconomic status in the Seti River Basin. Detailed hazard maps were created using field survey results from unmanned aerial vehicle photogrammetry and the Hydrologic Engineering Center River Analysis System. Questionnaire, focus-group, and key-informant surveys helped identify the socioeconomic situation. Inundation maps revealed that most residents are exposed to future flooding hazards without proper evacuation routes. Highly impoverished and immigrant households were at the highest risk in terms of income inequality and migration rate ( p < 0.001) and were located on the riverside. The locations of 455 laborers’ houses were significantly correlated with inundation hazards ( p < 0.001). Governmental and associated agencies must develop adequate plans to relocate low-income households. Group discussions revealed the need for stronger adaptive capacity-building strategies for future risk management. Pokhara requires better systematic and scientific land-use planning strategies to address this issue efficiently. A similar approach that combines flood modeling, proper evacuation route access, and socioeconomic survey is suggested for this river basin.

Keywords: flood inundation map; hydrologic engineering center river analysis system; unmanned aerial vehicle photogrammetry; evacuation route; flood hazard; socioeconomic survey; combined approach (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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