Shelter Suitability Mapping using Geospatial Analysis: A case study of Chalakudy River Basin in Kerala

Over the past few years, floods have become far more frequent worldwide. The Chalakudy River Basin (CRB) in the State of Kerala has been experiencing floods since 2018. This study analyses the flood-prone areas and identifies the most suitable locations for flood emergency shelters in the Chalakudy Taluk area of the basin employing geospatial techniques. To evaluate the suitability of the site, the study employs multicriteria analysis and a weighted sum approach in Geographic Information System (GIS). The study locates the position of emergency shelters based on elevation, land use type, flood inundation data, distance to road network and distance to flood-prone communities. The investigation results show that 1.79% of the study area is most suitable, 9.08 % is suitable, 9.65% is moderately suitable, 14.05 % is medium suitable, 11.82% is moderately unsuitable, 25.1% is unsuitable and 28.27% is very unsuitable for locating flood shelters. By raising awareness about evacuation shelter locations within the study area, the research aids in the emergency response phase during flood incidents. The outcomes of this study help disaster management authorities, decision-makers, local people and planning committees for early planning of disaster mitigation activities.