Torrent risk zonation in the Upstream Red River Basin based on GIS

This paper explores the methodology for compiling the torrent hazard and risk zonation map by means of GIS technique for the Red River Basin in Yunnan province of China, where is prone to torrent. Based on a 1:250,000 scale digital map, six factors including slope angle, rainstorm days, buffer of river channels, maximum runoff discharge of standard area, debris flow distribution density and flood disaster history were analyzed and superimposed to create the torrent risk evaluation map. Population density, farmland percentage, house property, and GDP as indexes accounting for torrent hazards were analyzed in terms of vulnerability mapping. Torrent risk zonation by means of GIS was overlaid on the two data layers of hazard and vulnerability. Then each grid unit with a resolution of 500 m × 500 m was divided into four categories of the risk: extremely high, high, moderate and low. Finally the same level risk was combined into a confirmed zone, which represents torrent risk of the study area. The risk evaluation result in the upper Red River Basin shows that the extremely high risk area of 13,150 km2 takes up 17.9% of the total inundated area, the high risk area of 33,783 km2 is 45.9%, the moderate risk area of 18,563 km2 is 25.2% and the low risk area of 8115 km2 is 11.0%.