Exploring the Risk and Socioeconomic Vulnerability of Riverbank Erosion Hazard Along the Upper Tapi River, India
摘要
This chapter introduces a thorough geospatial methodology for evaluating riverine erosion hazards and vulnerability in the Upper Tapi River basin. This research combines satellite image analysis, geospatial methods, and socioeconomic indicators to create indices for erosion hazards and vulnerability, establishing a risk assessment framework spanning two distinct periods from 1978 to 2020. Satellite imagery and toposheet maps were used to develop the erosion hazard index, utilizing metrics such as net areal change and percentage of eroded length. The vulnerability assessment incorporated three indices: Exposure, susceptibility, and resilience. Geological, geomorphological, and soil characteristics, along with terrain features like slope, relief, and roughness, were included in the exposure index. Demographic factors, such as population growth, settlement density, and agricultural land use intensity, were considered in the susceptibility index. The resilience index encompassed socioeconomic indicators, including literacy rate, access to banking and medical facilities, and forest cover. These three indices were combined to calculate a composite vulnerability index, providing a comprehensive evaluation of the area’s vulnerability to erosion-induced hazards. Furthermore, this chapter proposes a risk assessment framework that merges the erosion hazard index with the composite vulnerability index. This approach enables the identification of high-risk areas susceptible to riverine erosion, facilitating targeted disaster risk reduction strategies along the Upper Tapi River. Given the Upper Tapi River’s history of frequent flooding, riverbank erosion is considered one of the most hazardous disasters in the study area. The development and implementation of specific policies in these vulnerable regions may help support affected communities.