TITLE:
Assessing the Impact of Land Use and Land Cover Dynamics on Flood Risks in the Urban Areas of Abomey and Bohicon (Benin)
AUTHORS:
Joachim Tobada, Peace Hounkpe, Guy Oyéniran Adeoti, Brice Gbaguidi
KEYWORDS:
Flood Risk, Land Use/Land Cover (LULC), Urbanization, Landsat Imagery, West African Cities
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Water Resource and Protection,
Vol.17 No.12,
December
24,
2025
ABSTRACT: Flooding is one of the most concerning natural hazards for urban populations in West Africa, particularly in the Beninese cities of Abomey and Bohicon. In these areas, vulnerability is exacerbated by the combined effects of recurring extreme rainfall events and unplanned urban expansion. This study aims to analyze land use and land cover (LULC) dynamics in both cities between 2005 and 2025, and to assess their impact on flood risk. The adopted methodology is based on the analysis of multispectral Landsat satellite imagery, which was pre-processed and subjected to supervised classification using the Maximum Likelihood method. Five land use categories were identified and compared across three reference years: 2005, 2015, and 2025. The results reveal a rapid expansion of built-up areas at the expense of vegetated and wetland zones, leading to increased surface imperviousness, a significant rise in runoff coefficients and flow velocities, and, consequently, heightened flood risks. These spatial dynamics underscore the urgent need for more resilient urban planning, incorporating land-use strategies tailored to sustainable stormwater management.