A local scale flood vulnerability assessment in the flood-prone area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

The central part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, is a highly flood-prone area of the province. The lives and assets of local communities are deeply vulnerable, attributed to the recurrence of seasonal floods. This concern has motivated decision-makers and the research community to develop and adopt best management practices to address flood vulnerability issues. One of the commonly used methods for evaluating flood vulnerability is empirical investigation using composite indicators. However, there are several issues with the available flood vulnerability literature, using composite indicators in the study area. The objectives of the current study are therefore twofold. On the one hand, it demonstrated in a comprehensive step-by-step approach to develop flood vulnerability composite indicator taking into account the broad range of stakeholders and the reliability of research. On the other hand, the flood vulnerability profile of the selected communities is being developed. Households’ survey was conducted in the selected communities using random sampling. The composite indicators of flood vulnerability were developed as the relative measure of flood vulnerability across the selected communities. A robustness check was also carried out using convenient techniques to address the problem of uncertainty. For such a purpose, the composite indicators of flood vulnerability were developed through various data rescaling, weighting, and aggregation schemes. The relative levels of flood vulnerability are identified across the selected communities, and the findings are illustrated by colored matrices. Different factors were identified for being responsible for the relative vulnerability of various communities. Jurisdiction-wise assessment of flood vulnerability reveals that communities located in Charsadda district are more vulnerable to flooding compared to those in Nowshera district. The study can facilitate a wide range of stakeholders and decision-makers not only to develop composite indicators for flood vulnerability but also to scientifically justify it as a management tool for flood risk reduction.