Application of GIS and Remote Sensing Techniques for Flood Risk Assessment in Cyprus

Flooding is one of the most common natural disasters leading to economic losses and death. This paper strives to highlight the hydrological effects of land use changes in flood risk in a catchment area in Cyprus (Yialias river) through the application of ArcSWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) in GIS environment. The model is used to simulate the main components of the hydrologic cycle, in order to study the effects of land use changes. For the implementation of the model, land use, soil and hydrometeorological data were used. The climatic and stream flow data were derived from hydrometeorological stations located in the wider area of the basin under study. In addition the land use and soil data were extracted from the analysis of multispectral satellite images such as those of Aster after the application of sophisticated classification algorithms. The results denoted the increase of runoff in the catchment area due to the recorded extensive urban sprawl phenomenon of the last decade.