GIS based management system for flood forecast applications

Abstract

Water resources of a country constitute mainly surface and ground water, with rainfall being the basic source. Due to non-uniform variation of rainfall in India, one region of India receives floods, and the other region is prone to drought. This situation calls for proper management measures to effective utilization of available water. Recent floods in large river systems called for the urgent need to forecast flood conditions and manage the river environment. The author’s study on identification of flood prone areas of Cauvery river basin, generated flood inundation maps of several recurrence intervals by using hydrologic (SWAT) and hydraulic (HEC-RAS) models integrated with GIS. Considering this as preliminary study, a flood forecasting system is planned for Krishna river basin by using GIS and Meteorological data. A display map will be prepared using ArcGIS, which includes flood depth, extent of inundation with display maps and this information will be provided in near real time to concerned authorities for taking necessary action. These tools can be used to identify affected parcels to prioritize for remediation. This will help further to manage the water resources in an effective manner, without letting the water into sea or causing submergence to flood plain areas.