The rapid urbanization and changing climate patterns in Swat, Pakistan have increased the vulnerability of urban areas to flood events. Accurate assessment of flood risk is crucial for effective urban planning and disaster management. In current research study flood hazard index was developed using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique in combination with the geographical information system (GIS) environment in Swat, Pakistan. The study integrates various data sources, including topographic maps, land use/land cover information, rainfall data, and infrastructure data, to develop a comprehensive flood risk assessment model. The weights obtained from the AHP analysis are combined with geospatial data using a geographic information system (GIS) to generate flood risk maps. The flood hazard levels were categorized into five distinct classes: very low, low, moderate, high, and very high. Using the GIS-AHP approach, higher weights were assigned to rainfall, distance to river, elevation, and slope in comparison to NDVI, TWI, LULC, curvature, and soil type. The flood hazard map was then reclassified for each parameter. By overlaying these maps, it was determined that 5.6% of the total area is classified as very high flood risk, 52% as high risk, 39.3% as moderate risk, and 3.1% as low risk. The developed comprehensive flood risk assessment model in current study can identify high-risk areas, prioritize mitigation measures, and aid in effective urban planning and disaster management.

Groundwater supplies approximately half of the total global domestic water demand. It also complements the seasonal and annual variabilities of surface water. Monitoring of groundwater fluctuations is mandatory to envisage the composition of terrestrial water storage. This research provides an overview of traditional techniques and detailed discussion on the modern tools and methods to monitor groundwater fluctuations along with advanced applications. The groundwater monitoring can broadly be classified into three groups. The first one is characterized by the point measurement to measure the groundwater levels using classical instruments and electronic and physical investigation techniques. The second category involves the extensive use of satellite data to ensure robust and cost-effective real-time monitoring to assess the groundwater storage variations. Many satellite data are in use to find groundwater indirectly. However, GRACE satellite data supported with other satellite products, computational tools, GIS techniques, and hydro-climate models have proven the most effective for groundwater resources management. The third category is groundwater numerical modeling, which is a very useful tool to evaluate and project groundwater resources in future. Groundwater numerical modeling also depends upon the point-based groundwater monitoring, so more research to improve point-based detection methods using latest technologies is required, as these still play the baseline role. GRACE and numerical groundwater modeling are suggested to be used conjunctively to assess the groundwater resources more efficiently.