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Geo-spatial assessment of pluvial floods in city district Lahore, Pakistan

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Abstract

This study is an effort of geo-spatial assessment of pluvial floods in District Lahore, Pakistan, caused by urban expansion and the growing frequency and intensity of high-intensity rainfall events. The use of geospatial techniques such as watershed modeling, maximum likelihood image classification, and weighted overlay analysis based on secondary data has enabled the researchers to assess the extent and severity of pluvial floods in the study area. The study’s findings highlight the high risk of pluvial floods in the central part of the study area, which is dominated by built-up land and concrete roads. The increase in the area of built-up land from 34.913 km2 in 2018 to 37.442 km2 in 2022 has further intensified the risk of pluvial floods. The findings of this study can assist policymakers in develo** effective strategies to reduce the risks associated with pluvial floods. Alongside, it also highlights the importance of geospatial techniques to better understand and address the complex challenges of urbanization and climate change. Flood risk zone-specific strategies are recommended to reduce the risk of pluvial floods.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge online data sources for providing this opportunity to conduct research studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Government College University Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan

    Muhammad Ali & Shakeel Mahmood

Authors
  1. Muhammad Ali
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  2. Shakeel Mahmood
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Contributions

Ali and Mahmood contributed equally to the study conception and design of the study. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Ali and Mahmood supervised, reviewed and updated the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Shakeel Mahmood.

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All authors have read, understood, and have complied as applicable with the statement on “The manuscript is not be submitted to any other journal nor under consideration. All the data, results, and maps produced have been prepared in this study.”

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Ali, M., Mahmood, S. Geo-spatial assessment of pluvial floods in city district Lahore, Pakistan. Environ Monit Assess 196, 189 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-12291-6

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