Spatial Variation of Flood Severity Index

Understanding the spatial variation of the flood source area within watersheds as they affect of the flood characteristics at the outlet is an important issue in flood control studies. Determining the flood severity index in a watershed requires study of hydrogeomorphic properties, recorded rainfall-runoff events and use of mathematical models in the context of the methodology to delineate various watersheds areas with respect to the flood downstream. In this paper, Roodzard watershed was selected as the case study since it has suitable rainfall-runoff record. The watershed consists of five tributary subwatershed and three intermediate subwatersheds. ModClark distributed hydrologic model was calibrated in subwatersheds with hydrometric stations. Using HECRAS routing model the whole of the Roodzard watershed model was calibrated at Mashin Hydrometric Station at the outlet. Following the “Unit Flood Response” approach, 2*2 km2 grid squares within the watershed were removed one by one in the simulation process and their effect on the flood peak at the outlet was determined. Such effect was quantified by a flood index and used for preparing the map of “flood severity”. Furthermore, the profile of flood index along the main stream was plotted in grid-scale as well as for each sub-basin.