Application of GIS in flood detection for road infrastructure planning in North-Eastern Corridor of Northern Ghana

This study used GIS to identify flood risk areas on the proposed Wapuli and Kpalba roads to help policy makers take a firm decision on which road to link Yendi, Saboba, Chereponi and Gushiegu districts in Northern Ghana. The aim was to identify and measure floodable areas on the proposed roads. Factors influencing flooding in the area are identified and reclassified to flood risk values based on their suitability to retain waters, and then combined using weighted overlay tool in ArcMap to generate flood prone areas. The results showed that Wapuli road has lesser passage through flood risk areas. The study, thus, reveals how road planners can identify flood risk areas to aid in designing mitigations. The study concludes that flood risk areas should not be the sole factor in road planning, but rather multi-factors, including cost of construction, access to people and economic activities and the ability to ease trade.