Regional Planning Framework for Addressing Flood Vulnerability: A Comprehensive Case Study of South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India

Given the current state of global climate change, the Indian Sundarban Delta (ISD) region of South 24 Parganas is very vulnerable to a range of socio-ecological and climate-related issues. This study maps and monitors flood events using geospatial techniques in order to identify vulnerable areas and construct a Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) plan. Rising inundation in the study region, resulting from storm surges, shifting shorelines, and global sea level rise, poses significant risks to coastal communities’ existence, livelihoods, and mangrove ecosystems. The primary goal of this research is to create a Flood Susceptibility Index (FSI) that identifies risk locations by evaluating ten parameters: Geomorphology, Distance to waterbody, Distance to coastline, Topographic Wetness Index (TWI), Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI), soil texture, Land Use and Land Cover (LULC), level of arsenic concentration, population density, and community perception. To mitigate the negative consequences of vulnerability to flooding in the study region, effective mitigation measures and coping mechanisms, together with an effective District Disaster Management Plan (DDMP), must be implemented. The results of the research are intended to provide insightful information for preventive disaster management and sustainable development in the context of the increasing challenges associated with the effects of climate change.