Analysis of Spatial Distribution of the Drought Hazard Index (DHI) by Integration AHP-GIS-Remote Sensing in Gorontalo Regency

Abstract

Several regions across the world are presently experiencing a continuous increase in water scarcity due to the rise in water consumption resulting from population development, agricultural and industrial expansion, climate change, and pollution. Droughts are increasing in recurrence, severity, duration, and spatial extent as a result of climate change. Drought will be one of the most serious threats posed by climate change, often in conjunction with other effects such as rising temperatures and shifting ecosystems. Therefore, this study analyzes the spatial distribution of the Drought Hazard Index (DHI) by integrating AHP-GIS-Remote Sensing in Gorontalo Regency. AHP was used to determine the significance of each map as an input parameter for the DHI, while GIS-Remote Sensing was utilized to supply and analyze all input maps and the study outcome. The DHI assessment consists of four criteria, namely with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index accounting for the highest proportion at 42.9%, followed by Land Surface Temperature (33.6%), Normalized Difference Moisture Index (16.8%), and Topographic Wetness Index (6.7%), with the consistency of the underlying expert opinion measured by the consistency ratio of 0.048. The results indicated that the general hazard of drought in the Gorontalo Regency area was low (43.53%), with 17.87% of the whole area experiencing high hazard. The high class of drought was discovered to be centered in the central region of Gorontalo Regency, which was mostly used for agricultural and economic purposes, thereby enabling policymakers to have evidence to develop management policies suitable for local conditions. Therefore, despite the limits of climatology data, this study established the value of satellite-derived data needed to support policymakers in guiding operational actions to drought hazards reduction.