Flood Susceptibility Assessment in Arid Areas: A Case Study of Qatar

Over the past decade, adverse impacts of climate change and excessive urbanization have contributed to several unfamiliar costly floods in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), especially Qatar. With limited historical rainfall records unprecedented precipitation intensities impacting efficiency hydrological models, multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) presents a suitable alternative approach assess identify flood-susceptible areas. In this study, we applied MCDA factors that contribute flood susceptibility, namely: elevation, slope, groundwater depth, distance drainage system, land use. These criteria were assigned different weights based on their contribution previous literature later underwent sensitivity analysis. The study’s results correlate well with recent flooding events, proving method’s identifying hotspots. This study is expected provide rapid tool support decision-making process for future urban expansion, sustainable development, resilience planning