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WATER, LAND AND FOREST RESOURCES

FLOOD RISK ASSESSMENT IN THE ULBA RIVER BASIN USING GEO-INFORMATION MODELING AND MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS (MCDA)

Kudaibergen Kyrgyzbay 1 , Talgat Usmanov 1 , Boribay Elmira 2

1 Kazakh-British Technical University (KBTU); 2 Narxoz University

doi.org/10.37884/3-2025/52 pp. 539-549 Admitted 20.07.2025 Published 30.09.2025

Abstract

In the context of climate change and the extreme weather events, flood risk assessment is becoming critically important worldwide. Floods annually result in human casualties, infrastructure damage, and significant economic losses, especially in mountainous and coastal regions. In Kazakhstan, along with droughts, floods remain among the most hazardous natural phenomena, particularly in the eastern regions where spring snowmelt and intense precipitation significantly contribute to flood formation. The Ulba River, flowing through the mountainous areas of Eastern Kazakhstan, is characterized by complex topography and high catchment activity, making its basin especially vulnerable to sudden floods. This underscores the need for modern geoinformation methods for spatial analysis and modeling of potential flood risk zones.
For the first time at the regional level, comprehensive geoinformation-based flood risk modeling was conducted for the Ulba River basin using remote sensing data, Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), and Weighted Overlay Analysis within the ArcGIS environment. The novelty of this study lies in the adaptation and testing of an integrated risk assessment model that accounts for local geomorphological and climatic conditions, previously not analyzed at such detailed spatial resolution. Input factors included a digital elevation model (DEM), slope, spatial distribution of precipitation (TerraClimate), land use/land cover (LULC), and Euclidean distance from watercourses. Each criterion was classified into five risk categories and assigned scaled values depending on its contribution to flood probability: low elevations, gentle slopes, high moisture levels, and proximity to rivers received the highest scores. All layers were normalized and combined using the weighted overlay method. The result is the first detailed spatial flood risk map of the Ulba River basin, allowing the identification of highly vulnerable areas within the watershed.
The proposed methodology can serve as a representative model for mountainous regions of Central Asia, demonstrating both scientific value and practical applicability in data-scarce environments.

flood risk geo-information modeling multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) weighted overlay spatial analysis vulnerability assessment ArcGIS

01 Introduction

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02 References

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Citation Links

[1]2025. FLOOD RISK ASSESSMENT IN THE ULBA RIVER BASIN USING GEO-INFORMATION MODELING AND MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS (MCDA). Izdenister natigeler. 3 (107) (Sep. 2025), 539–549. DOI:https://doi.org/10.37884/3-2025/52.
(1)FLOOD RISK ASSESSMENT IN THE ULBA RIVER BASIN USING GEO-INFORMATION MODELING AND MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS (MCDA). Izdenister natigeler 2025, No. 3 (107), 539-549. https://doi.org/10.37884/3-2025/52.
FLOOD RISK ASSESSMENT IN THE ULBA RIVER BASIN USING GEO-INFORMATION MODELING AND MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS (MCDA). (2025). Izdenister Natigeler, 3 (107), 539-549. https://doi.org/10.37884/3-2025/52
FLOOD RISK ASSESSMENT IN THE ULBA RIVER BASIN USING GEO-INFORMATION MODELING AND MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS (MCDA). Izdenister natigeler, [S. l.], n. 3 (107), p. 539–549, 2025. DOI: 10.37884/3-2025/52. Disponível em: https://kazvetjournal.kaznaru.edu.kz/index.php/research/article/view/1067. Acesso em: 15 sep. 2026.
“FLOOD RISK ASSESSMENT IN THE ULBA RIVER BASIN USING GEO-INFORMATION MODELING AND MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS (MCDA)”. 2025. Izdenister Natigeler, no. 3 (107) (September): 539-49. https://doi.org/10.37884/3-2025/52.
“FLOOD RISK ASSESSMENT IN THE ULBA RIVER BASIN USING GEO-INFORMATION MODELING AND MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS (MCDA)” (2025) Izdenister natigeler, (3 (107), pp. 539–549. doi:10.37884/3-2025/52.
[1]“FLOOD RISK ASSESSMENT IN THE ULBA RIVER BASIN USING GEO-INFORMATION MODELING AND MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS (MCDA)”, Izdenister natigeler, no. 3 (107), pp. 539–549, Sep. 2025, doi: 10.37884/3-2025/52.
“FLOOD RISK ASSESSMENT IN THE ULBA RIVER BASIN USING GEO-INFORMATION MODELING AND MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS (MCDA)”. Izdenister Natigeler, no. 3 (107), Sept. 2025, pp. 539-4, https://doi.org/10.37884/3-2025/52.
“FLOOD RISK ASSESSMENT IN THE ULBA RIVER BASIN USING GEO-INFORMATION MODELING AND MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS (MCDA)”. Izdenister natigeler, no. 3 (107) (September 30, 2025): 539–549. Accessed September 15, 2026. https://kazvetjournal.kaznaru.edu.kz/index.php/research/article/view/1067.
1.FLOOD RISK ASSESSMENT IN THE ULBA RIVER BASIN USING GEO-INFORMATION MODELING AND MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS (MCDA). Izdenister natigeler [Internet]. 2025 Sep. 30 [cited 2026 Sep. 15];(3 (107):539-4. Available from: https://kazvetjournal.kaznaru.edu.kz/index.php/research/article/view/1067
1.FLOOD RISK ASSESSMENT IN THE ULBA RIVER BASIN USING GEO-INFORMATION MODELING AND MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS (MCDA). Izdenister natigeler. 2025;(3 (107):539-549. doi:10.37884/3-2025/52