Living with floods through geospatial approach: a case study of Arambag C.D. Block of Hugli District, West Bengal, India

Arambag community development block (C.D. Block) is situated in the interfluvial zone of Damodar and Dwarkeswar River, which is one of the flood-prone areas of West Bengal. Despite the frequent flood problems, population of this region is very high due to the fertile floodplains, on which people are dependent for their livelihood. During the floods, people generally take shelter in nearby safe places, where they can find food, health assistance and safety. School, government buildings, community halls generally act as evacuation shelters due to its limited use. Present study aims to identify the optimal location of shelters during the flood hazards through geospatial techniques. Several factors are analyzed through the analytical hierarchy process to identify their relative importance, finally overlay analysis is done in the geospatial environment to find out the proper locations. Various sites have been identified, out of which most suitable locations have been proposed after the field verification.