Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Simulation of rainfall–runoff process for an ungauged catchment using an event-based hydrologic model: A case study of koraiyar basin in Tiruchirappalli city, India

  • Published:
Journal of Earth System Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The Koraiyar River basin is located in Tiruchirappalli city, one of the fastest-growing medium-sized cities in south India. Over the decades, the city has experienced sporadic flooding in vast areas due to the breaching of bunds when the river is in spate. The objective of this investigative study is to simulate rainfall–runoff in the Koraiyar basin watershed through the reliable Hydrologic Modelling System developed by the Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC-HMS). Land-use and land-cover constantly change due to increasing population taken as one of parameter, its influence on CN, and their impact on surface runoff is analyzed in this study. The specified hyetograph method is adopted for the meteorological modelling; the Soil Conservation Services-Curve Number (SCS-CN) is selected to calculate the loss rate, and the SCS unit hydrograph method is adopted to simulate the runoff rate. Calibration and validation of the model are done to simulate assessed peak discharge values for comparison with actual observed values. The Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient is between 0.5 and 0.6, which indicates that the hydrological modelling results are satisfactory and acceptable for simulation of rainfall–runoff. The peak discharge is obtained for the single maximum rainfall event of about 100 mm in a day over the past 40 years, and hydrographs are generated.

Highlights

  • It is the first integrated rainfall–runoff modelling to be studied in Ungauged Koraiyar basin with scarce data.

  • The methodology adopted for simulating selected extreme events can be used for similar hydrological and meteorological conditions.

  • For ungauged catchments like Koraiyar basin characteristics where enough data is not available, HEC-HMS can be used as a reliable tool for rainfall runoff and flood flow simulation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7
Figure 8
Figure 9
Figure 10
Figure 11
Figure 12
Figure 13
Figure 14

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ali M, Khan S J, Aslam I and Khan Z 2011 Simulation of the impacts of land-use change on surface runoff of Lai Nullah Basin in Islamabad, Pakistan; Landscape Urban Plan. 102 271–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anandharuban P, Rocca M L and Elango L 2019 A box-model approach for reservoir operation during extreme rainfall events: A case study; J. Earth Syst. Sci. 128(229) 1–14, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-019-1258-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Apel H, Aronica G T, Kreibich H and Thieken A H 2009 Flood risk analyses – how detailed do we need to be?; Nat. Hazards 49 79–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aryal et al. 2020 A model-based flood hazard mapping on the southern slope of Himalaya; Water 12 540, https://doi.org/10.3390/w12020540.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Azama M, Kimb H S and Maenga S J 2017 Development of food alert application in Mushim stream watershed Korea; Int. J. Disaster Risk Reduct. 21 11–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bates P D 2004 Remote sensing and flood inundation modeling; Hydrol. Process. 18 2593–2597.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bhaskar N R 1988 Projection of urbanization effects on runoff using Clark’s instantaneous unit hydrograph parameters; Water Resour. Bull. 24(1) 113–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng S J and Wang R Y 2002 An approach for evaluating the hydrological effects of urbanization and its application; Hydrol. Process. 16 1403–1418.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chu H J and Chang L C 2009 Applying particle swarm optimization to parameter estimation of the nonlinear muskingum model; J. Hydrol. Eng. 14 1024–1027.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dhruvesh P P and Prashant K S 2013 Flood hazards mitigation analysis using remote sensing and GIS: Correspondence with Town Planning Scheme; Water Resour. Manag. 27 2353–2368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eyad A and Broder M 2013 Modelling rainfall runoff relations using HEC-HMS and IHACRES for a single rain event in an arid region of Jordan; Water Resour. Manag. 27 2391–2409, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-013-0293-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferguson B K and Suckling P W 1990 Changing rainfall–runoff relationships in the urbanizing Peachtree Creek watershed, Atlanta, Georgia; Water Resour. Bull. 26(2) 313–322.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hapuarachchi H A P, Wang Q J and Pagano T C 2011 A review of advances in flash flood forecasting; Hydrol. Process. 25 2771–2784, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hyp.8040.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang H J, Cheng S J, Wen J C and Lee J H 2008 Effect of growing watershed imperviousness on hydrograph parameters and peak discharge; Hydrol. Process. 22(13) 2075–2085.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Im S, Brannan K M and Mostaghimi S 2003 Simulating hydrologic and water quality impacts in an urbanizing watershed; J. Am. Water Resour. Assoc. 39 1465–1479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ismail E 2015 Flash flood hazard mapping using satellite images and GIS tools: A case study of Najran City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA); Egyptian J. Remote Sens. Space Sci. 18 261–278.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jakeman A J and Hornberger G M 1993 How much complexity is warranted in a rainfall–runoff model?; Water Resour. Res. 29(8) 2637–2649.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khatri H B, Jain M K and Jain S K 2018 Modelling of streamflow in snow dominated Budhigandaki catchment in Nepal; J. Earth Syst. Sci. 127 100, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-018-1005-5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim E S and Choi H 2015 A method of flood severity assessment for predicting local flood hazards in small ungauged catchments; Nat. Hazards 78 2017–2033.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knebla M R et al. 2005 Regional scale food modelling using NEXRAD rainfall, GIS, and HEC-HMS/RAS: A case study for the San Antonio River Basin Summer 2002 storm event; J. Environ. Manag. 75 325–336.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Komuscu A U and Celik S 2012 Analysis of the Marmara flood in Turkey, 7–10 September 2009: An assessment from hydrometeorological perspective; Nat. Hazards, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-012-0521-x.

  • Laouacheria F and Mansori R 2015 Comparison of WBNM and HEC-HMS for runoff hydrograph prediction in a small urban catchment; Water Resour. Manag. 29 2485–2501, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-015-0953-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lastra J et al. 2008 Flood hazard delineation combining geomorphological and hydrological methods: An example in the Northern Iberian peninsula; Nat. Hazards 45 277–293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lillesand T M and Kiefer R W 2003 Remote sensing and image interpretation; New York: John Wiley and Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y and Sun F 2010 Sensitivity analysis and automatic calibration of a rainfall–runoff model using multi-objectives; Ecol. Inf. 5 304-310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Madsen H 2000 Automatic Calibration of a conceptual rainfall–runoff model using multiple objectives; J. Hydrol. 235(3) 276–288, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-1694(00)00279-1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maity R 2018 Frequency analysis, risk, and uncertainty in hydroclimatic analysis; Stat. Methods Hydrol. Hydroclimatol. 444p, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8779-0.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matej V and Jana V 2016 Flood hazard and flood risk assessment at the local spatial scale: A case study; Geomatics, Nat. Hazards and Risk 7(6) 1973–1992.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mehdi K, Alireza S and Bahram S 2018 Loss of life estimation due to flash floods in residential areas using a regional model; Water Resour. Manag. 32 4575–4589.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Merwade V 2010 Creating SCS Curve Number Grid using HEC Geo HMS; School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, http://web.ics.purdue.edu/∼vmerwade/education/cngrid.pdf.

  • Moriasi D N, Arnold J G, Van Liew M W, Bingner R L, Harmel R D and Veith T L 2007 Model evaluation guidelines for systematic quantification of accuracy in watershed simulation; Trans. ASABE 50(3) 885–900.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nash J E and Sutcliffe J E 1970 River flow forecasting through conceptual models. Part 1: A discussion of principles; J. Hydrol. 10 282–290.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Onusluel G, Nilgun H and Ali G 2010 A combined hydrologic and hydraulic modelling approach for testing efficiency of structural flood control measures; Nat. Hazards 54 245–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pawan N B and Jayantilal N P 2018 Event-based rainfall–run-off modelling and uncertainty analysis for lower Tapi Basin, India; ISH J. Hydraul. Eng., https://doi.org/10.1080/09715010.2018.1464406.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ramakrishnan D, Bandyopadhyay A and Kusuma K N 2009 SCS-CN and GIS-based approach for identifying potential water harvesting sites in the Kali Watershed, Mahi River Basin, India; J. Earth Syst. Sci. 118(4) 355–368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reddy A M 2002 Text book of remote sensing and geographical information systems; Saint John: B.S. Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sampath D, Weerakoon S and Herath S 2015 HEC-HMS model for runoff simulation in a tropical catchment with intra-basin diversions case study of the Deduru Oya River Basin, Sri Lanka; Engineer. 48(01) 1–9, https://doi.org/10.4038/engineer.v48i1.6843.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scharffenberg W and Fleming M 2010 Hydrologic modelling system HEC-HMS v32 user’s manual; USACEHEC, Davis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sintayehu L G 2015 Application of the HEC-HMS model for runoff simulation of Upper Blue Nile River Basin; Hydrol. Curr. Res. 6(2) 199, https://doi.org/10.4172/2157-7587.1000199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Surendar N and Nisha R 2019 Simulation of extreme event–based rainfall–runoff process of an urban catchment area using HEC–HMS; Model. Earth Syst. Environ. 5 1867–1881, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-019-00644-5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suribabu C R, Bhaskar J and Neelakantan T R 2012 Land use/cover change detection of Tiruchirapalli city, India using integrated remote sensing and GIS tools; J. Indian Soc. Rem. Sens. 40(4) 699–708.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suribabu C R and Bhaskar J 2015 Evaluation of urban growth effects on surface runoff using SCS–CN method and Green-Ampt infiltration model; Earth Sci. Inform. 8 609–626, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12145-014-0193-z.

  • Tung Y K and Mays L W 1981 State variable model for urban rainfall–runoff process; Water Resour. Bull. 17(2) 181–189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) 2008 Hydrological modelling system, HEC-HMS, user’s manual, version 3.3; Davis, CA, USA.

  • US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) 2013 Hydrologic Engineering Centre: Hydrologic modelling system HEC-HMS, user’s manual version 4; http://www.hec.usace.army.mil/software/hec-geohms/downloads.aspx.

  • USDA 1972 National engineering handbook, section 4, hydrology, soil conservation service; US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • USGS 2012 Estimating basin lag time and hydrograph timing indexes used to characterize storm flows for runoff-quality analysis; Scientific Investigations Report, Reston, Virginia, USA, U.S. Geological Survey, 58p.

  • Xuefeng C and Steinman A 2009 Event and continuous hydrologic modelling with HEC–HMS; J. Irrig. Drain. Eng. 135 1(119) 119–124, https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)0733-9437 (2009).

  • Yang X L, Ren L L, Singh V P, Liu X F, Yuan F, Jiang S H and Yong B 2012 Impacts of land use and land cover changes on evapotranspiration and runoff at Shalamulun River watershed, China; Hydrol. Res. 43(1–2) 23–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yuan W, Liu M and Wan F 2019 Calculation of critical rainfall for small-watershed flash floods based on the HEC-HMS hydrological model; Water Resour. Manag. 33 2555–2575, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-019-02257-0.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yucel I 2015 Assessment of a flash flood event using different precipitation datasets; Nat. Hazards 79 1889–1911.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yusop Z, Chan C H and Katimon A 2007 Runoff characteristics and application of HEC–HMS for modelling storm flow hydrograph in an oil palm catchment; Water Sci. Technol. 56 41–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zafar S and Zaidi A 2015 Impact of urbanization on basin hydrology: A case study of the Malir Basin, Karachi, Pakistan; Regional Environmental Change, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-019-01512-9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zaharia L, Costache R, Pravălie R and Minea G 2015 Assessment and mapping of flood potential in the Slănic catchment in Romania; J. Earth Syst. Sci. 124(6) 1311–1324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang H L, Wang Y J, Wang Y Q, Li Q D and Wang X K 2013 The effect of watershed scale on HEC-HMS calibrated parameters: A case study in the clear creek watershed in Iowa, US; Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 17 2735–2745.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zope P E, Eldho T I and Jothiprakash V 2015 Impacts of urbanization on flooding of a coastal urban catchment: A case study of Mumbai City, India; Nat. Hazards 75 887–908.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the State Surface and Groundwater Data Centre, Chennai, and Irrigation Management Training Institute for providing rainfall data, Tiruchirappalli. The authors also extend their thanks to USGS, SRTM website for providing Remote Sensing Images freely available. The US Army Corps of Engineers were appreciated for providing HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS is open-source software. Finally, to the Editor of this journal, the reviewers for making much effort to review the manuscripts and their team for their great support during the review of the submitted manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, Tiruchirappalli, 620 015, India

    Surendar Natarajan & Nisha Radhakrishnan

Authors
  1. Surendar Natarajan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Nisha Radhakrishnan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

The first author Surendar Natarajan contributed in this study by data collection, framed methodology of the study, analysis, results and preparation of manuscript. The results and manuscript were reviewed and corrected by second author Nisha Radhakrishnan.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Surendar Natarajan.

Additional information

Communicated by Rajib Maity

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Natarajan, S., Radhakrishnan, N. Simulation of rainfall–runoff process for an ungauged catchment using an event-based hydrologic model: A case study of koraiyar basin in Tiruchirappalli city, India. J Earth Syst Sci 130, 30 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-020-01532-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-020-01532-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation