ANNOUNCEMENTS
A rise has been observed in the hydro-meteorological hazards across the world as the atmosphere becomes warmer. Floods are one of the major categories of hydro-meteorological hazards which have the potential to cause extensive damage to life and property. They pose more threat across the coastlines since they already bear the brunt of sea level rise, cyclones and sea water intrusions. Coastal cities serve as a major hub for serving the population, protection and contributing to the economic growth of the country. As the cities become more susceptible to hazards like flood, it becomes essential to evaluate the risk and impact of the hazard on different components so as to make these cities resilient and avoid any disruption.
This study, taking the case of Panaji, a coastal city located in Goa attempts to perform a flood assessment to understand the susceptibility and resilience of the city against fluvial and coastal floods. The hazard maps have been prepared based on the hazard analysis by estimation of design discharge of floods using 30 year rainfall and temperature data. The outputs of 2-D hydraulic modelling have been obtained for return periods of 5 years, 25 years and 100 years. Using geospatial techniques, these return periods have been computed for hazard rating taking depth and velocity as variables using the flood hazard formula. The ratings are then spatially overlaid across different infrastructural components of the city to recognise their risks to flooding. Additionally, social susceptibility has also been identified for recognising in which regions, there is more vulnerability of population to the hazard. These risk assessments should be an integral part of city development and planning, especially for the coastal cities since their exposure to different kinds of hazards would likely to be more in future due to exacerbating impressions of climate change.
KEYWORDS: Hazard, Risk, Floods, Infrastructure, Assessment.
