Flood Vulnerability Assessment and Effective Utilization of Flood Water Using Geospatial Techniques
Syed, Sanaullah Shah; Munir, Muhammad Badar; Shaikh, Babar
SUPARCO, PAKISTAN

Natural disasters are irreversible and cause devastation to life, property and infrastructure. Floods of 2010 in Pakistan were one of such example which damaged and disturbed large area of the country. The swallowing River Indus caused Tori breach near Kandhkot and right bank, while left bank was affected by a breach near Kot Almo in Sindh Province. The failure of flood protective embankments can be attributed to various factors including super flood, destruction of natural flood plain due to land use for agriculture and extensive deforestation. Besides, natural agents such as low gradient, braided channel flow and channel meandering pose high vulnerability of river floods in Sindh Province. This study aims to map flood plain between Guddu and Sukkur barrages for determination of effective flood plain, lanuse and embankment infrastructure and natural slopes using remote sensing and Geoinfromatics techniques. Integrated multi-temporal satellite imagery and historical maps were used to determine behaviour of river Indus in Guddu - Sukkur floodplain. HEC-RAS model coupled with extracted geospatial data was used for flood inundation mapping and simulation of inundation depths as well as to investigate the breach outflow hydrographs produced by hypothetical river embankment failure. Based on results flood diversion channel has been proposed for flood risk reduction and storage of water for dry periods.