Exploring River’s Flood Dynamics: Integrating HEC-RAS 1-D Modelling and Geospatial Techniques for the Karjan River in Gujarat’s Narmada Basin, India

Abstract

Floods rank among the most devastating natural disasters, causing extensive damage to property and severe impacts on communities. Effective management and mitigation of flood risks necessitate reliable data regarding flood depth, discharge, and extent. The Karjan River Basin’s low-lying regions experienced significant flooding in 2020. This research utilizes the latest new HEC-RAS version for one-dimensional hydrodynamic flood modelling for the Karjan River in low-lying areas and the merging point of the Karjan River Basin in Narmada River, emphasizing geospatial techniques. The study showcases the analytical process of the new HEC-RAS v6 in spatial analysis. River features like bank lines and cross-sections were derived from ALOS Palsar for flood modeling. An unsteady flow simulation was conducted to model water dynamics, yielding water depth results viewable in the HEC-RAS geospatial RAS mapper. Flood depth maps created for 2020 reveal that areas low lying area i.e. Dhamncha, bhadam, Juna Rundh and surrounding area near the merging point of Karjan River are prone to floods when river discharge surpasses 8836 cubic meters per second. Model accuracy was verified by comparing simulated outcomes with historical data from the mentioned events, demonstrating the model’s precision and reliability.