Flash Flood Characteristics of Ciberang River, Its Impact and Mitigation

Abstract

Flash flood is a deadly natural disaster that develops at space and time scales caused by high rainfall intensities and frequently occurs. It occurs in mountainous regions with steep slope relief and often causes a loss of economy, society, and environment and threatens human lives. The Ciberang river is located at Lebak district, Banten Province, and has been experiencing a significant flash flood from December 31, 2019 to January 01, 2020, which contributed to various damages, including households nearby the river. In this study, the impact areas were identified with the HEC-RAS model and satellite image data. The impact area was damage on eight sub-districts, including agriculture (77.86 Ha), buildings (0.80 Ha), roads (2.5 km), and nine bridges. In addition, this study tried to build Sabo Dam upstream of Banjar Irigasi sub-districts to respond to the flash flood occurrence. The results have reduced the discharge to around 40 m3/s, and the travel time was delayed about 53 min. The results of this study help the community and decision-makers be ready for further flash flood disasters.