Flood Risk Assessment Using GIS and Remote Sensing Technology in Telangana State, India

Recurring flash floods pose a serious hazard in several parts of Telangana State, India, necessitating a comprehensive assessment of flood-prone areas. This study aims to delineate flood hazard risk zones across Telangana using a multi-criteria decision analysis framework integrated with Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. Key flood influencing parameters; including slope, elevation, aspect, rainfall, drainage density, land use/land cover, soil type, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), hillshade, flow accumulation, and topographic wetness index (TWI) were analysed and integrated through a weighted overlay approach. Approximately 40.52% (402 km²) of the area falls within high to very high flood risk categories, while 39.83% (951 km²) was identified as low to very low risk. Specifically, high-risk and very high-risk zones cover 188 km² (18.10%) and 213.7 km² (22.42%) of the region, respectively. The generated flood hazard map provides valuable spatial insights for disaster preparedness, land-use planning, and sustainable flood mitigation strategies, thereby supporting informed decision-making and risk reduction efforts in the state.