Author(s): Sun-Kwon Yoon; Jong-Suk Kim; Young-Il Moon
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Flood Hazard; Vulnerability; Flood Risk Index; GIS; Risk Assessment; Han River basin
Abstract: This study develops an integrated flood risk index (FRI) considering hydrological, social, and ecological factors to assess watershed-based flood hazard and vulnerability in the Korean Han River Basin, where flood disasters occur frequently. We used fifteen indicators, which were standardized, weighted, and classified, to create an FRI map. Five categories of flood risk were distinguished: “very high”, “high”, “medium”, “low”, and “very low”. The results in ternary diagrams illustrating the relative importance of the three factors show that urban areas in the Han River Basin have experienced a decrease of 1.0%in the hydrological factor. However, the social and ecological factors have increased by 3.2%and 4.4%, respectively. In rural areas, an increase of 4.8%was found in the hydrological factor alongside decreases in the social (1.6%) and ecological (2.2%) factors. In addition, the FRI map shows that 20.02%of the total area of the Han River Basin is classified as having “very high” or “high” flood risk; the size of this high-risk zone has increased significantly since 1990, by 7.12%. Despite the relatively small sample size and lack of data availability, the research presented here provides a quantified assessment of Han River flood risk combined with an integrated view of risk assessment and management for stakeholders and decision-makers.
Year: 2012