Assessing Urban Flood Risk in Thoothukudi City: A GIS and Remote Sensing-based Approach to Climate Change

Richard Abishek S (), Antony Ravindran A, Stephen Pitchaimani V, Velmurugan P, Sakthi Priya R, Haris S and Nishamangai G
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Richard Abishek S: V.O. Chidambaram College
Antony Ravindran A: V.O. Chidambaram College
Stephen Pitchaimani V: V.O. Chidambaram College
Velmurugan P: V.O. Chidambaram College
Sakthi Priya R: V.O. Chidambaram College
Haris S: V.O. Chidambaram College
Nishamangai G: V.O. Chidambaram College

Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, 2025, vol. 9, issue 2, No 3, 263-287

Abstract: Abstract This study evaluates flood susceptibility in Thoothukudi city using Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to assess the impact of land use and land cover (LULC), vegetation health, rainfall, topography, and urbanization. Various datasets, including LANDSAT-8 imagery, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Topographic Wetness Index (TWI), Land Surface Temperature (LST), and Digital Elevation Model (DEM), were integrated to generate a Flood Susceptibility Index (FSI). The findings highlighting the significant temporal and seasonal misalignments between LULC and climatic factors, particularly rainfall, which influence flood risks. LULC analysis revealed that Thoothukudi is mainly covered by crop land (34%), built-up areas (19.1%), and rangeland (36.4%), with minimal water bodies and bare soil. NDVI values indicated sparse vegetation in many areas, contributing to higher runoff. TWI analysis showed that some regions have lower moisture retention, exacerbating runoff during rainfall. LST data demonstrated rising surface temperatures, potentially intensifying the urban heat island effect and increasing flood risks. The study also calculated the volume of water discharge, which varied across different classifications, based on rainfall of 392.53 mm. “Very High” susceptibility areas had the largest water discharge (13.77 million cubic meters), while "Low" susceptibility zones showed the least (32.62 million cubic meters), due to better vegetation cover and water retention. The study emphasizes the importance of incorporating multi-layer environmental data for effective flood management and sustainable urban planning in Thoothukudi.

Keywords: Flood susceptibility; AHP techniques; Remote sensing and GIS; Thoothukudi city; Climate change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s41885-025-00169-5

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