Geotechnologies for the identification of flood-prone areas in the Una River basin, Pernambuco, Brazil

Abstract

Climate change has been causing extreme hydrological events, such as floods, to become increasingly frequent. Watersheds may exhibit varying degrees of susceptibility to these events depending on their climatic, hydrological, geological, morphometric, and anthropic characteristics. To identify factors influencing watershed susceptibility to floods, risk indices coupled with geoprocessing tools can be employed. In this context, the present study aimed to analyze the susceptibility to flood occurrence in the Una River watershed, located in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, through the determination of morphometric parameters. The QGIS software, along with numerical equations, was utilized to determine geometric, drainage, and relief parameters and to characterize each sub-basin of the Una River watershed. The overall analysis revealed that 40% of the total sub-basins exhibit high susceptibility to floods, while 50% have medium susceptibility, and 10% have low susceptibility to floods. Thus, it was found feasible to conduct a geospatial analysis to assess flood risk in watersheds through the analysis of morphometric parameters.