Cyclone Shelter
Suitability and Flood Risk Assessment Mapping of Amaravati Capital Region, Andhra
Pradesh, India
Lokanath Reddy M., Padma Priya K.T., Madan Mohan Reddy P., Madhava V. and Venkata
Vara Prasad S.
Disaster Advances; Vol. 19(1); 41-53;
doi: https://doi.org/10.25303/191da041053; (2026)
Abstract
Amaravati, the capital region of Andhra Pradesh, is highly vulnerable to flood hazards
due to its proximity to the Krishna River and exposure to cyclonic influences from
the Bay of Bengal. The Amaravati is situated at 16.5131° N latitude and 80.5165°
E longitude, approximately 40 km inland from Machilipatnam, the region experiences
recurrent riverine flooding and storm impacts. This study integrates Geographic
Information System (GIS) and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) within a Multi-Criteria
Decision-Making (MCDM) framework to assess flood susceptibility and map cyclone
shelters for disaster preparedness and sustainable regional planning.
A total of 12 thematic layers including elevation, slope, aspect, hillshade, distance
from rivers and roads, land use/land cover (LULC), soil, geology, geomorphology,
population density and water bodies have been analyzed using the Weighted Overlay
Technique (WoT) and AHP to determine flood-prone zones and optimal locations for
cyclone shelters. The relative weights for each factor were assigned based on their
influence on flooding and site suitability, ensuring a comprehensive risk assessment
with 5 classes from very high to low. The study also incorporated a wind-rose diagram
derived from three years of wind data (2022-2024) from the Global Wind Atlas to
evaluate wind patterns, aiding in cyclone shelter site selection. The results highlight
flood-prone zones in low-lying areas with poor drainage conditions while identifying
elevated and geologically stable regions as suitable for cyclone shelters.
