MAPPING FLOOD-SUSCEPTIBLE AREAS IN THE STATE OF ESPÍRITO SANTO: APPLYING MULTICRITERIA ANALYSIS AND GEOPROCESSING

Abstract

Extreme weather events, particularly floods, have caused significant environmental impacts in Brazilian cities, including human losses, homelessness, and economic damage. They are particularly harmful in urban areas near rivers due to improper land use and inadequate infrastructure and drainage. This study aims to map areas susceptible to flooding in the state of Espírito Santo, using geoprocessing and multicriteria analysis. Additionally, precipitation data, land use, and geomorphological characteristics were considered, with the AHP technique used to weigh the flooding criteria. The combination of these criteria allowed classification of the areas, revealing that most of the region shows a susceptibility level ranging from moderate to very high. Quantitatively, the susceptibility areas were distributed as follows: very low (2.7 km²), low (9,743.8 km²), moderate (24,563.5 km²), high (8,717.7 km²), and very high (2,549.4 km²). The HAND model was effective in identifying susceptible areas near watercourses. The generated mapping is essential for planning public policies and natural disaster mitigation strategies, and it recommends the continued use of these technologies to improve water resource management.