Simulation of Floods in Delhi Segment of River Yamuna Using HEC-RAS

Abstract

Flooding in Delhi Segment of River Yamuna has a devastating effect on the life of the inhabitants, particularly those residing close to the banks. The River Yamuna experienced floods 33 times during the last century, often endangering the life of people as well as the important infrastructural facilities that exist along the banks of the river. The present paper describes the development and application of a hydrodynamic model based on HEC-RAS - modelling system developed by the Hydrologic Engineering Centre at United States Army Corps of Engineers - for the simulation of floods in the Delhi segment of River Yamuna. The HEC-RAS model was first calibrated and validated and then applied for the simulation of historical floods of 2010 and 2013. With the HEC-RAS model, the vulnerability assessment of different bridges and barrages in the Delhi segment has been carried out. It can be concluded that the results presented herein could provide valuable aid to policy makers in formulating mitigation strategies to counteract the adverse impacts of flooding in the Yamuna River basin.