Lima et al. (2025) Integrated use of the analytical hierarchy process method for mapping areas susceptible to flooding in the urban area in a city in southwest Bahia, Brazil

Identification

• Journal: Journal of South American Earth Sciences
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-09-11
• Authors: Keli Lima, Lorena Lima Ferraz, Genoile Oliveira Santana, Ronaldo Lima Gomes, Carlos Amilton Silva Santos, Tiago M. D. Pereira, Raildo Mota de Jesus
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jsames.2025.105778

Research Groups

• Postgraduate Program in Development and Environment, State University of Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, BA, Brazil
• Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, State University of Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, BA, Brazil
• Federal Institute of Bahia, Vitória da Conquista, BA, Brazil
• Department of Exact and Technological Sciences, State University of Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, BA, Brazil
• National Institute of Science and Technology in Energy and Environment (INCT), Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brazil

Short Summary

This study maps flood-prone areas in the urban region of Jequié, Bahia, Brazil, by integrating Geographic Information System (GIS) technology with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) using nine influencing factors, revealing that approximately 60.48 % of the urban area exhibits high to very high flood susceptibility.

Objective

• To map and identify flood-prone areas in the urbanized region of Jequié, Bahia, Brazil, to support flood risk assessment and management.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Urban area of Jequié, Bahia, Brazil.
• Temporal Scale: Current susceptibility assessment based on static environmental and anthropogenic factors.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Geographic Information System (GIS).
• Data sources: Nine factors encompassing topographic (e.g., slope, elevation), hydrological (e.g., proximity to rivers, drainage systems), geological (e.g., soil drainage), and anthropogenic (e.g., urbanization, population density, impermeable surfaces) aspects.

Main Results

• Approximately 60.48 % of the study area exhibited high to very high flood susceptibility.
• 24.01 % of the area showed moderate susceptibility.
• 15.52 % of the area demonstrated very low to low susceptibility.
• High-susceptibility areas are characterized by low slope and elevation, urbanized regions, proximity to rivers, poor soil drainage, insufficient drainage systems, high population density, and impermeable surfaces.
• The model's consistency value was 8.1 %, validating the results.

Contributions

• Provides a valuable tool for public decision-makers in municipal planning for flood risk assessment and management in the urban area of Jequié.
• Integrates GIS and AHP for comprehensive flood susceptibility mapping in an economically relevant urban area frequently affected by extreme weather events.

Funding

• Not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Lima2025Integrated,
  author = {Lima, Keli and Ferraz, Lorena Lima and Santana, Genoile Oliveira and Gomes, Ronaldo Lima and Santos, Carlos Amilton Silva and Pereira, Tiago M. D. and Jesus, Raildo Mota de},
  title = {Integrated use of the analytical hierarchy process method for mapping areas susceptible to flooding in the urban area in a city in southwest Bahia, Brazil},
  journal = {Journal of South American Earth Sciences},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jsames.2025.105778},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsames.2025.105778}
}