Remote sensing has become an indispensable tool for understanding both physical processes and human activities on the Earth’s surface. In the context of floods, it helps in observing, analyzing, and managing the physical characteristics of flood events, while in the context of settlements, it provides valuable insights into patterns of human habitation, growth, and vulnerability. The ability of remote sensing to acquire repetitive, synoptic, and multi-spectral data over large areas makes it particularly suitable for studying floods and settlements, which are dynamic in nature and often spread over extensive regions. In flood studies, remote sensing is primarily applied to analyze physical aspects such as rainfall distribution, river behavior, inundation extent, flood dynamics, and post-flood impacts. Satellite-based sensors operating in optical, thermal, and microwave regions of the electromagnetic spectrum play a crucial role in flood monitoring. One of the most important applications is flood mapping. During flood events, satellites like Landsat, Sentinel-2, and MODIS provide images that help identify inundated areas by distinguishing water from land based on spectral reflectance. Water bodies absorb most of the near-infrared radiation and appear dark, allowing accurate delineation of flooded zones. Such flood extent maps are essential for emergency response, relief planning, and damage assessment. Microwave remote sensing, especially Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), has special significance in flood monitoring because it can penetrate clouds and operate during day and night. Floods often occur during heavy rainfall and cloud cover, when optical sensors are ineffective. SAR sensors such as Sentinel-1 and RADARSAT can detect smooth water surfaces, which appear dark due to low backscatter. This capability enables near real-time flood mapping even under adverse weather conditions. For example, during the 2018 Kerala floods in India, Sentinel-1 SAR data were extensively used to map inundated areas, identify severely affected regions, and support disaster management agencies in rescue operations. Remote sensing also supports the analysis of rainfall and catchment characteristics that contribute to flooding. Weather satellites like INSAT and TRMM provide information on precipitation intensity, spatial distribution of rainfall, and storm movement. This data is vital for understanding flood causation and for developing early warning systems. Additionally, Digital Elevation Models derived from remote sensing data, such as those from SRTM and ASTER, are used to study terrain slope, drainage patterns, and floodplain morphology. These physical