Inundation maps for extreme flood events: Case study of Sidi Bel Abbes city, Algeria

• Published in: Journal of water and land development 2018-06, Vol.37 (1), p.19-27
• Main Authors: Atallah, M'hamed, Hazzab, Abdelkrim, Seddini, Abdelali, Ghenaim, Abdellah, Korichi, Khaled
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bathymetric surveys; Case studies; Coefficients; flood; Flood control; Flood mapping; Floodplains; Floods; Gaging; Gaging stations; Galerkin method; Hydrodynamics; Hydrologic data; Hydrology; inundation maps; Mathematical models; Modelling; Rivers; Roughness; Runge-Kutta method; Runge–Kutta discontinuous Galerkin; Saint-Venant equations; Terrain models; Two dimensional models; Wadi Mekerra; Water discharge
• ISSN: 2083-4535; 1429-7426; 2083-4535
• DOI: 10.2478/jwld-2018-0021

Hydrodynamic modelling is used to analyse the inundation behaviour of Sidi Bel Abbes city (North-West of Algeria) during extreme flood events. The study reach, 5.4 km in length, is a section of Wadi Mekerra through Sidi Bel Abbes city. Land and bathymetric surveys were used to create a digital terrain model (DTM) of the river channel and the floodplain. By coupling the geometry with hydrologic data, a two dimensional hydrodynamic model was built. The model is based on integrating Saint-Venant shallow waters (depth averaged) equations through Runge–Kutta discontinuous Galerkin numerical scheme. It was calibrated in terms of roughness coefficients on measured values of water surface elevation and discharge registered in the Sidi Bel Abbes gauging station. The objective is to draw the flood maps under extreme river flood event. The results are helpful for local authorities in order to take the appropriate defence measures in the future.