Spatial analysis for flood risk prevention In the informal settlement Encinal, Xicotepec

Abstract

Floods in informal settlements that cause human and economic losses and health problems are consequence of anthropic occupation outside of territorial planning, and permissive practices that authorize the construction of houses on land unsuitable for urban development. An example of this is the case of the Encinal in the municipality of Xicotepec, Puebla, which is an informal settlement located on the periurban area, whose morphology responds to steep slopes and the bed of a stream, the latter has been degraded to a sewage canal and overflows during the months of June to October. Therefore, 230 inhabitants and 49 homes have been identified in a high-risk flood zone. The lack of geographic and statistical information is a limitation to analyze the anthropic conditions that influence the construction of the flood risk, as well as identify physical and social vulnerability, in this sense, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have been underused as a technology for disaster risk spatial analysis. The objective of this research is to demonstrate the relevance of GIS in the flood risk construction process analysis in an irregular settlement. In the quantitative and qualitative methodology, GIS was applied as a technology for spatial analysis, georeferencing of data in field trips, and mapping for the representation of flood risk conditions in the Encinal settlement. A relevant conclusion is that GIS is a technology that allows generating detailed information to show the situation of vulnerability in informal settlements and contribute to decision making to prevent and mitigate disaster risk.