Flood mapping in face of rapid urbanization: a case study of Wadi Majraf-Manumah, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

ABSTRACT

Rapid urbanization, as observed in many regions of the world, poses special challenges, among them the diminution of flood risks and the protection against flash flood hazards. In order to evaluate flood risks, it is eligible to construct flood maps and necessary to update them regularly. For such purpose, advanced flood simulation tools are available that deliver accurate results in a short time with high-resolution information and advanced capabilities to model hydrodynamic processes. The hydrodynamic model 3Di is served from a GIS environment. This enables users to construct flash flood scenarios and run them in a cloud environment. A case study is presented for a district of the city of Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. The site is characterized by rapid urbanization, which thus requires an a priori use of a flood simulation tool and the option for a regular update.

KEYWORDS:

• Rapid urbanization
• flood map
• 3Di
• Oman

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The presented research is enabled as part of the project funding from The Research Council (TRC) of the Sultanate of Oman under Research Agreement No. [ORG/GUTECH/EBR/13/026].