Vulnerability of riparian inhabitants to river bank erosion hazard in lower Ganga: an integrated approach

River bank erosion is a serious problem in the riparian inhabitants of the alluvial plain. The study attempts to develop an integrated vulnerability index for bank erosion in the lower Ganga basin of India, employing a socio-spatial approach. The methodology for the assessment of the vulnerability index is comprised of three dimensions such as exposure, sensitivity and capacity which include 34 indicators covering social, economic, physical and environmental dimensions. A comprehensive survey encompassing 600 households across 30 villages was conducted to gather socio-economic indicators. These indicators include exposure, sensitivity, and capacity data for each village, which were aggregated to formulate an integrated vulnerability index. Subsequently, this index was exported to a geographic information system for the visualization of spatial patterns. The result shows that more than 60% of the villages are highly exposed to river bank erosion in the study area whereas 66.6% of villages have a high to very high sensitivity level and 50% have a low capacity index. The result also revealed that the east bank of the river is more vulnerable to river bank erosion in terms of vulnerability as compared to the west bank. This comprehensive methodology yields valuable insights into vulnerability to river bank erosion, providing decision-makers with essential tools for effectively managing disaster risk.