Influence of drainage network and compensatory techniques on urban flooding susceptibility

Urban flooding due to accelerated urbanization and the resulting drainage problems have become a worldwide issue and the subject of several studies in recent decades. Alternative and holistic approaches such as sustainable drainage systems have been gaining prominence. Compensatory techniques represent one of these promising alternatives for managing flooding risk in the transition to regenerative urban environments. The goal of this study is to assess the effect of a drainage network together with compensatory techniques on the susceptibility to urban flooding in Campeche District. This study applies the analytical hierarchy process together with a consistency analysis, using overlapping influential parameters in three scenarios. The results show that introducing a drainage system decreases the susceptibility to urban flooding in approximately 27% of Campeche District. In general, considering the absence of a drainage network, it is concluded that its implementation together with compensatory structures provides a reduction of approximately 32% in the susceptibility to urban flooding. It should be noted that, although costly, interventions for the implementation of a drainage infrastructure associated with compensatory techniques are extremely important for disaster reduction and sustainable development.