Flood risk assessment using the CV-TOPSIS method for the Belt and Road Initiative: an empirical study of Southeast Asia

Instruction: The countries along the Belt and Road Initiative remain high exposure and vulnerability to climate extremes. Southeast Asia, a significant part of the Belt and Road Initiative, suffers a lot from flood disasters. This study assessed the flood disaster risk from 1990-2015 in all 11 Southeast Asian countries. A model integrating the coefficient of variation approach and the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution method was introduced to analyze the flood disaster data. Considering that populations living in areas where elevation is below 5 m and land area where elevation is below 5 m have reached 11.86% and 3.54% (2015), respectively, the two indicators were opted for to propose new metrics for flood disaster risk assessment. Outcomes: Our findings show that the flood disaster risk in Southeast Asia appeared very high during most of the study period. Indonesia had an extremely high flood disaster risk, followed by Vietnam, whereas Laos, Malaysia, Brunei, and Timor Leste had lower flood risks. The model introduced in this paper is quite simple and easy to understand, providing accessible flood risk information for decision makers. Conclusion: The results we obtained have practical implications for land use and investment activities in Southeast Asia.