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Floodplain Mapping Using HEC-RAS and ArcGIS: A Case Study of Kabul River

Article  in  ARABIAN JOURNAL FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING · November 2015

DOI: 10.1007/s13369-015-1915-3

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Arab J Sci Eng (2016) 41:1375–1390
DOI 10.1007/s13369-015-1915-3

RESEARCH ARTICLE - CIVIL ENGINEERING

Floodplain Mapping Using HEC-RAS and ArcGIS: A Case Study

of Kabul River
Muhammad Shahzad Khattak1 · Faizan Anwar1 · Tariq Usman Saeed2 ·
Mohammed Sharif3 · Khurram Sheraz1 · Anwaar Ahmed4

Received: 31 May 2014 / Accepted: 13 October 2015 / Published online: 6 November 2015
© King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals 2015

Abstract This paper describes the application of HEC- of floodplain maps indicated that more than 400 % area is
RAS model to the development of floodplain maps for the likely to be inundated as compared to the normal flow of the
part of Kabul river that lies in Pakistan. The intent is to river. Most of the area found to be vulnerable to flooding
assist policy makers and planners in the development of flood is currently used for agriculture. Comparison of simulation
mitigation measures for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, of 2010 flood with the image of the flood taken by MODIS
which experienced unprecedented floods in July/August clearly shows a close agreement between the two.
2010 exposing the vulnerability of the province to this natural
catastrophe. Owing to its reasonable accuracy and free avail- Keywords Flood · HEC-RAS · Frequency · Modeling ·
ability, shuttle radar topography mission digital elevation Kabul
model was chosen for the extraction of geometrical data for
the river. Conventional flood frequency analysis, involving
log-normal, Gumbel’s, and log-Pearson type III (LP3) distri- 1 Introduction
butions, was used to calculate extreme flows with different
return periods. Using Kolmogorov–Smirnov (KS) test, LP3 Floods are caused by extreme hydrometeorological actions
was found to be the best distribution for the Kabul River. The while their evolution depends on geomorphologic agents,
peak floods from frequency analysis were input into HEC- such as permeability and soil stability, vegetation cover,
RAS model to find the corresponding flood levels expected and the geometric characteristics of the river basins. Urban
along river reaches extending through Warsak dam to Attock. expansion and consolidation, changing demographic features
Results obtained with HEC-RAS model were used in combi- within floodplains, changes in flood regime as a result of
nation with ArcGIS to prepare floodplain maps for different climate change, and human intervention in the ecological
return periods. Through floodplain maps, areas that are vul- system are the major factors that lead to increased exposure
nerable to flooding hazards have been identified. Analysis of communities to flood risk [1]. The occurrence of extreme
precipitation is a major impact of climate change; this leads
B Tariq Usman Saeed to increase in the magnitude and frequency of extreme events
tariqusaeed@[Link]
such as droughts and floods [2]. Increase in the total amount,
Muhammad Shahzad Khattak frequency and intensity of precipitation will affect the timing
shahzadkk2004@[Link]
and magnitude of runoff, but its decrease will cause drought-
1 Department of Agricultural Engineering, University of like situations [3]. It is expected that future climatic shifts
Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan would cause a great variation in the water accessibility in
2 Lyles School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, different regions. As a result, almost every facet of human
West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA life including agricultural productivity, wildlife and fish man-
3 Department of Civil Engineering, Jazan University, Jazan, agement, energy use, industrial and municipal water supply,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and flood control would be affected [4]. As a consequence of
4 School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National climate change, the vulnerability of communities to floods
University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan has increased in most parts of the world, including Southeast

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