VISAKHAPATNAM: As many as 26 wards in Visakhapatnam have been classified as having very high flood vulnerability, while another 38 wards fall under the high-risk category, according to a study by researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi.
The study, titled ‘Spatial Assessment of Flood Vulnerability in Visakhapatnam City, India by Integrating GIS and AHP Techniques,’ was conducted by Abeer Sanyour and Vishal Chettry of the Department of Architecture, Planning and Design, IIT-BHU, and published in the proceedings of the SUPTM 2026 conference.
The researchers used Geographic Information System (GIS) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) techniques to assess flood vulnerability at the ward level. The assessment considered factors including elevation, slope, distance from the sea and rivers, drainage density, road density, rainfall, vegetation cover and distance from hospitals.
Based on the assessment, the wards were classified into five categories including very high, high, moderate, low and very low vulnerability. The 26 wards identified as having very high vulnerability are 6, 12, 13, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 30, 39, 48, 52, 55, 56, 58, 59, 67, 71, 78, 80, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88 and 89. Another 38 wards including 10, 11, 14, 16, 19, 20, 22, 29, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 40, 41, 43, 44, 47, 48, 49, 51, 54, 57, 60, 62, 64, 72, 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 93, 95, 96 and 98 were placed in the high-vulnerability category.
Seventeen wards including 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 15, 17, 21, 33, 46, 68, 70, 91 and 97 were classified as having moderate vulnerability. Wards 3, 18, 61 and 69 were categorised as having low vulnerability, while Wards 50, 74, 90 and 94 were classified as very low vulnerability.
“Flood vulnerability in this study refers to a composite measure rather than merely the likelihood of flooding. It combines environmental exposure factors, such as elevation and proximity to rivers and coastlines, with infrastructural factors, including drainage, road density and healthcare access. These indicators are integrated using GIS and AHP to assess overall flood vulnerability at the ward level,” Dr Vishal Chettry said.
The researchers observed that areas closer to rivers generally recorded higher flood vulnerability, particularly because of their relatively low elevation and the density of road networks. The high-risk areas were found to form west-east and north-south corridors, with some of these areas also corresponding with zones of higher rainfall intensity. The study also examined the role of urban infrastructure in determining flood vulnerability.