Development of Flood Vulnerability and Risk Indices for Kelantan District, Peninsular Malaysia

Abstract

Natural hazards are inevitable which required proper monitoring and application of mitigation measures to reduce vulnerability and risk. Flood is one of the most common natural hazards in Malaysia. The present study was conducted to identify vulnerable flood zones using flood vulnerability and risk indices and to minimize flood damage by suggesting mitigation measures. Four sub-districts of the Kelantan state, Peninsular Malaysia were selected based on the availability of the data and flooding history. For this purpose, demographic, social, economic, and flood event data were collected to develop flood vulnerability and risk index. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the results. The results revealed that developed flood vulnerability and risk indices accurately predict high-priority zones. Overall, it was found that flood risk is relatively higher in a rural area compared to an urban area.