Flood Risk Assessment through Spatial Planning Approach: Study of Bhoj Wetland Catchment within the Zone of Influence, India

Urbanization has increased drastically in recent years, endangering the biodiversity of wetlands. Wetland health is directly influenced by the type of development in its catchment area and zone of influence (ZOI). To understand the type of development in the ZOI, research was carried out at the Bhoj wetland, India. The aim of the current study is (1) to identify the flood risk zones in Bhoj wetland catchment area and (2) to study the sporadic growth of settlements in the ZOI of the Bhoj wetland catchment. In the current study, flood-prone areas in the ZOI of the Bhoj wetland have been identified by using hydrological tools in ArcGIS. The CARTOSAT-1 and CARTOSAT-2E images were utilized to analyze the growth pattern of permanent settlements in the ZOI for the years 2011 to 2021 that fall under high flood-prone areas. The result shows that the number of permanent settlements has nearly doubled in the ZOI area in past 10 years and a major part of these settlements come under a very high flood risk zone. A land fragmentation analysis has been performed to identify the temporal changes in patch density within a 5 km buffer area of the Upper Lake. The outcomes show that the core area has decreased by 31.33%, while the patch and edge areas have increased by 51.99% and 5.89%, respectively. The outcome of this study will help policymakers to control the unplanned growth within the ZOI, which not only induces adverse changes in the wetland ecosystem but also endangers human lives and assets.