GIS ANALYSIS OF FLOOD EVACUATION CENTRE PLACEMENT: IDENTIFYING SPATIAL GAPS IN KUANTAN, MALAYSIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v23i38.1826Keywords:
GIS, Flood, Evacuation Centre, Spatial, HazardAbstract
Kuantan, Malaysia, faces recurrent flooding that displaces thousands annually, underscoring the need for strategically located evacuation centres (ECs). This study employs a GIS-based spatial analysis, framed by concepts of spatial equity, resilience planning, and disaster risk governance, to assess the distribution, accessibility, and capacity of ECs relative to flood-prone residential areas and vulnerable populations. Results reveal significant spatial inequities: 41% of flood-prone residential land and 66% of at-risk residents are located beyond the recommended 1-km EC coverage radius. Capacity analysis indicates that existing shelters can accommodate only 25% of the population within the covered zones. A suitability analysis integrating proximity to existing ECs, flood risk, and population density identified 14% of flood-prone residential land as “extremely suitable” and 21% as “very suitable” for new ECs. These priority zones are concentrated in peripheral areas with high flood exposure, high population density, and limited current shelter access. Comparative insights from the Philippines, Indonesia, and Bangladesh highlight that such urban–rural disparities in EC access are common in Southeast Asia, often due to centralised infrastructure planning. The study’s findings and GIS-based suitability mapping provide a replicable approach for planners and policymakers, enabling targeted, equitable, and resilience-focused evacuation infrastructure development in flood-prone regions.
Downloads
References
Ahmadi, C., Karampourian, A., & Samarghandi, M. R. (2022). Explain the challenges of evacuation in floods based on the views of citizens and executive managers. Heliyon, 8(9). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10759
Alam, M. J., Habib, M. A., & Pothier, E. (2021). Shelter locations in evacuation: A Multiple Criteria Evaluation combined with flood risk and traffic microsimulation modeling. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.102016
Batur, M., Alkan, R. M., Karaman, H., & Özener, H. (2025). Multi-objective optimization of nuclear emergency shelters: balancing capacity, evacuation efficiency, and supply accessibility. International Journal of Engineering and Geosciences, 10(2), 244–261. https://doi.org/10.26833/ijeg.1596244
Chen, W., Fang, Y., Zhai, Q., Wang, W., & Zhang, Y. (2020). Assessing emergency shelter demand using POI data and evacuation simulation. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi9010041
Davoudi, S., Shaw, K., Haider, L. J., Quinlan, A. E., Peterson, G. D., Wilkinson, C., Fünfgeld, H., McEvoy, D., & Porter, L. (2012). Resilience: A Bridging Concept or a Dead End? “Reframing” Resilience: Challenges for Planning Theory and Practice Interacting Traps: Resilience Assessment of a Pasture Management System in Northern Afghanistan Urban Resilience: What Does it Mean in Planning Practice? Resilience as a Useful Concept for Climate Change Adaptation? The Politics of Resilience for Planning: A Cautionary Note. In Planning Theory and Practice (Vol. 13, Issue 2, pp. 299–333). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649357.2012.677124
Kusumo, A. N. L. (2016). Utilizing Volunteered Geographic Information to Assess Community’s Flood Evacuation Shelters [Master Thesis, University of Twente]. http://www.itc.nl/library/papers_2016/msc/upm/kusumo.pdf
Lee, H., & Sung, M.-H. (2013). GIS Based Analysis for the Capacity of Emergency Evacuation Shelters in Cheonan - Focused on Class-2 Shelters in Old Downtown. Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial Cooperation Society, 14(9), 4572–4579. https://doi.org/10.5762/kais.2013.14.9.4572
Mabahwi, N. A., Bhattacharya, Y., & Nakamura, H. (2021). GIS-based multi-criteria analysis to identify site suitability of flood shelters in Kuantan, Malaysia. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 799(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/799/1/012027
Mabahwi, N. A., & Nakamura, H. (2024). Enhanced GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis for optimal flood shelter site selection: A case study of Kuantan, Malaysia. Journal of the Malaysian Institute of Planners, 22(5). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v22i34.1587
Majlis Perbandaran Kuantan. (2019). Rancangan Tempatan Daerah Kuantan 2035. In Majlis Perbandaran Kuantan: Vol. Jilid 2.
Md Saad, M. H., Khairul Amri Kamarudin, M., Ekhwan Toriman, M., Abd Wahab, N., Marcus Ata, F., Armi Abu Samah, M., Shakir Mohd Saudi, A., & Novdin Manoktong, S. (2023). Analysis of the Flash Flood Event and Rainfall Distribution Pattern on Relau River Basin Development, Penang, Malaysia. PLANNING MALAYSIA Journal of the Malaysia Institute of Planners, 21, 58–71.
Muller, C. C., Lagos, L., & Elzomor, M. (2024). Leveraging disruptive technologies for faster and more efficient disaster response management. Sustainability, 16(23). https://doi.org/10.3390/su162310730
PLANMalaysia. (2018). Laporan Pelan Tindakan Pembangunan Bersepadu Guna Tanah Di Lembangan Sungai Pahang.
Sanyal, J., & Lu, X. X. (2009). Ideal location for flood shelter: A geographic information system approach. Journal of Flood Risk Management, 2(4), 262–271. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-318X.2009.01043.x
Singh, V., & Qin, X. (2020). Study of rainfall variabilities in Southeast Asia using long-term gridded rainfall and its substantiation through global climate indices. Journal of Hydrology, 585. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.124320
Soja, E. W. (2010). Seeking Spatial Justice. University of Minnesota Press.
Sritart, H., Miyazaki, H., Kanbara, S., & Hara, T. (2020). Methodology and application of spatial vulnerability assessment for evacuation shelters in disaster planning. Sustainability, 12(18). https://doi.org/10.3390/SU12187355
Suzuki, T., Watanabe, T., & Okuyama, S. (2019). Facilitating community risk communication for wide-area evacuation during large-scale floods. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16142466
UNDRR. (2019). Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2019. United Nations.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 Unported License.
Copyright & Creative Commons Licence
eISSN: 0128-0945 © Year. The Authors. Published for Malaysian Institute of Planners. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.
The authors hold the copyright without restrictions and also retain publishing rights without restrictions.
