The Influence of River Channel Occupation on Urban Inundation and Sedimentation Induced by Floodwater in Mountainous Areas: A Case Study in the Loess Plateau, China

Zhihui Wang, Wenyi Yao, Ming Wang, Peiqing Xiao, Jishan Yang, Pan Zhang, Qiuhong Tang, Xiangbing Kong and Jie Wu
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Zhihui Wang: Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research, Yellow River Conservancy Commission, Zhengzhou 450003, China
Wenyi Yao: Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research, Yellow River Conservancy Commission, Zhengzhou 450003, China
Ming Wang: Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research, Yellow River Conservancy Commission, Zhengzhou 450003, China
Peiqing Xiao: Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research, Yellow River Conservancy Commission, Zhengzhou 450003, China
Jishan Yang: Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research, Yellow River Conservancy Commission, Zhengzhou 450003, China
Pan Zhang: Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research, Yellow River Conservancy Commission, Zhengzhou 450003, China
Qiuhong Tang: Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Xiangbing Kong: Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research, Yellow River Conservancy Commission, Zhengzhou 450003, China
Jie Wu: Hydrology and Water Resources Institute, Hohai University, Nanjing 210000, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 3, 1-19

Abstract: River channel occupation has made cities in the mountainous areas more vulnerable to floodwater out of river channels during rapid global urbanization. A better understanding of the influence of river channel occupation on urban flood disasters can serve as a reference in planning effective urban flood control strategies. In this study, taking a flood event that occurred on July 26th, 2017 in a city on the Loess Plateau as an example, field surveys, dynamics detection of the river channel using remote sensing technology, and scenario simulations with a two-dimensional flow and sediment model were utilized to quantitatively analyze the impacts of river channel occupation on urban inundation and sedimentation. The results show that river channel dynamics reduced by construction can be successfully detected using the combination of high-resolution images and Landsat time-series images. The variation of the water level–discharge relationship caused by the narrowing of the river channel and the increase of the flood-water level caused by water-blocking bridges/houses result in a significant reduction of the flood discharge capacity. The contribution of the narrowing of the river channel was 72.3% for the total area inundated by floodwater, whereas 57.2% of urban sedimentation was caused by the construction of bridges/houses within the river channel. Sustainable flood mitigation measures were also recommended according to the investigations and research findings in this study in order to reduce the social, environmental and economic damages caused by floods.

Keywords: Loess Plateau; river channel occupation; urban inundation and sedimentation; scenario simulation; flow and sediment modeling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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