Examining the Impact of Land Use/Land Cover Characteristics on Flood Losses: A Case Study of Surat City

Abstract

Characteristics of the built environment and overall local-level land use patterns changes are increasing the urbanization which is being attributed to flooding and resulting economic losses from flood events. Urbanization may be as important as determining a flood risk as baseline environmental conditions. This study addresses this issue by statistically examining the impacts of urbanization on flood damage recorded on parcels within Surat city, India, called the Tapi River catchment. We analyze empirical models to identify the influence of different Land use-Land cover over flood losses for the year 1968 and 2006. Results indicate that an increase in urbanization is being considered as a major driver for the increasing flood risk.