Flood Hazard Mapping in Rural Area: Case of Ephemeral Watercourses in SidiBoulenouar Zone

Abstract

The eastern region of Morocco is characterized by an arid to semi-arid climate. It is often confronted with heavy rainfall episodes that can generate floods that can cause adverse human and property damage. This work studies hydrological risk in the SidiBoulenouar area (Oujda province) to model floods and map risk areas. The method used is to determine the watersheds and their watercourses, then to calculate the flows with the mathematical formulas. Topographic data were extracted from a 12.5-m resolution DEM derived from the ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer). GDEM (Global DEM). The DEM was used to delimit the hydrographic network with ArcMap software. The use of HEC RAS 1D was necessary to delimit the flooding area. The results of the 1D hydraulic modeling of the centennial flood showed that four ephemeral watercourses landlock the rural area of SidiBoulenouar at the time of the floods.