Flood Risk Analysis in an Andean Watershed by Integrating Satellite Data and Multicriteria Analysis

This study used the QGIS 3.16 geographic Information System and multicriteria evaluation to identify areas susceptible to flooding in an Andean watershed known as the Yanuncay River sub-basin. The Delphi methodology was applied with experts to evaluate the importance of the criteria, and the ranking method was used to obtain values for each criterion. The results are visualized in a map that identifies areas of low, moderate, and high susceptibility to flooding. It was found that a large part of the territory of the sub-basin has areas with low and moderate susceptibility to flooding, but some areas of high susceptibility were also identified, such as “La Inmaculada de Barabón”, “San Joaquín parish”, and “El Salado”. The results were validated by comparing historical records of flooding events and the classification established by the National Risk Management Secretariat and the Military Geographic Institute for areas susceptible to flooding in the national territory.