Flood risk mapping and analysis of the m'zab valley, Algeria

Abstract

To contribute to flood awareness and flood prevention, a flood risk mapping study has been carried out in the M'zab valley (North Algerian Sahara) using one-dimensional modelling. The use of spatial tools and remote sensing contributed greatly to improve the results, taking advantage of the fineness of the topographic information provided by a 2.5 m digital terrain model. Calibration of the hydraulic model was performed using flood marks points collected through a field campaign on site, using GPS. The one-dimensional model appeared satisfactory, even in an urban context, for preliminary flood mapping. In particular, assessment of hydraulic capacity allowed locating the first outflows, thus also indicating where actions could be necessary.