Utilization of River Depth Profile and Historical Transects for the Estimation of Sedimentation and Flood Simulation

Abstract

Bathymetric data is needed to properly manage river systems. However, bathymetric data generation needsspecialized equipment, which may not always be available. Also, the ease of deployment and cost prevent its use on a regular, short to medium term basis. This study demonstrated a set of methodology that generated bathymetric data utilizing a raft and associated equipment setup. The observed mean depth of the river was 2.92 m (standard deviation: 0.84 m, n = 1981; range: 0.21 - 14.51 m). An estimation of the number of sediments lost and gained for a particular section of the river indicated a net loss of 0.48 m3m-2 . A flood simulation on a subsection of the river caused by a 2-, 4- and 6-meter water level increase resulted in 164, 211 and 245 hectares of flooded zones, respectively.