The Effect of Sabo Works Design and River Improvement on the Magila River with Consideration on Morphological Changes Influenced by Debris Flow Events

Abstract

The morphological changes of a river due to debris flow are essential considerations in understanding the dynamics of a river. The Magila River, located in the Sigi Regency, Central Sulawesi Province, is a small river with an area of approximately 125 hectares, but the average riverbed slope exceeds 10%. This river faced water damage issues, such as debris floods on December 12, 2019, and overflowing floods on October 11, 2022. Based on the ongoing mitigation (Sabo Works and River Improvement), an analysis of flow modeling through HEC-RAS software with non-Newtonian parameters is also being conducted. Simulations are performed on both the existing river scenario and the design river scenario. The flood and sediment transport simulations indicate that the capacity of the existing river is insufficient to accommodate the planned 100-year return period flood discharge, leading to overflow in several river sections with a maximum inundation height of 42.80 centimeters. The river also tends to experience riverbed degradation, triggering landslide events. In contrast, in the design river, overflow in river sections is reduced, although some areas still experience inundation with a maximum height of 18 centimeters. The river morphology in this scenario is more stable, with a balanced level of degradation and aggradation. The conclusion of this research indicates that a series of ongoing mitigation efforts needs to be expanded to minimize the risk of floods but is already optimal in maintaining river morphology stability. The research findings are expected to be beneficial in maximizing the management of the Magila River.