Flood Modelling Framework for Kuching City, Malaysia: Overcoming the Lack of Data

Abstract

Several areas in Southeast Asia are very vulnerable to climate change and unable to take immediate/effective actions on countermeasures due to insufficient capabilities. Malaysia, in particular the east coast of peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak, is known as one of the vulnerable regions to flood disaster. Prolonged and intense rainfall, natural activities and increase in runoff are the main reasons to cause flooding in this area. In addition, topographic conditions also contribute to the occurrence of flood disaster. Kuching city is located in the northwest of Borneo Island and part of Sarawak river catchment. This area is a developing state in Malaysia experiencing rapid urbanization since 2000s, which has caused the insufficient data availability in topography and hydrology. To deal with these challenging issues, this study presents a flood modelling framework using the remote sensing technologies and machine learning techniques to acquire the digital elevation model (DEM) with improved accuracy for the non-surveyed areas. Intensity–duration–frequency (IDF) curves were derived from climate model for various scenario simulations. The developed flood framework will be beneficial for the planners, policymakers, stakeholders as well as researchers in the field of water resource management in the aspect of providing better ideas/tools in dealing with the flooding issues in the region.