Management of hazard of flooding in arid region urban agglomeration using HEC-RAS and GIS software: The case of the Bechar's city

Abstract

During the last few years, the City of Bechar in Algeria has witnessed some extreme events, such as the great flood of the year 2008 in which an exceptional amount of rain was recorded with a flow rate of 830 m3∙s−1 (hwater = 4 m, b = 200 m); similar flooding also occurred in 2012 and 2014. The problem is that most of the City of Bechar has an urban sprawl that extends to the banks of Wadi Bechar, which represents a huge risk for the lives of the inhabitants of the region. The present work aims to assess the flood risk through flood hazard mapping. This method consists in determining the flow rates for the return periods of 25 years (Q25 = 388.6 m3∙s−1, hwater = 3.5 m, b = 200 m, Sspot = 55.35 ha), 50 years (Q50 = 478.3 m3∙s−1, hwater = 5 m, b = 200 m, Sspot = 66.48 ha) and 100 years (Q100 = 567.3 m3∙s−1, hwater = 7 m, b = 200 m, Sspot = 133 ha). For this, it is necessary to adjust the flow rates using Gumbel law along with some computer supports such as HEC-RAS, HEC-GeoRAS and ArcGis for mapping the event. Finally, this work enables us to determine the zones exposed to risk of flooding and to classify them according to the flood water height.

Keywords

• arid zones
• climate change
• flood
• mapping
• water resources