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Risk evaluation and mitigation against flood danger in an arid environment. A case study (El Bayadh region, Algeria)

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Abstract

Floods are among the most serious and devastating phenomena of natural disasters. Cities adjacent to flood-prone areas in the last decades have played a major role in increasing the potential adverse effects of flood damage. This research study aims to evaluate and mitigate the risks of flood events in the El Bayadh region, which suffers from poor infrastructure and drained networks. To achieve this, it is necessary to evaluate rainfall intensities and their limits for durations from 0.167 to 24 h with return periods from 2 to 1000 years. Eight different frequency analysis distributions were fit to the historical rainfall data series over 43 years (1970–2012) using hypothesis-based goodness tests and information-based criteria. The most appropriate distributions were used to develop the rainfall intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) and flood risk-duration-frequency (RDF) curves for the study area. The results show that high-intensity rainfall values last for short durations, while high flood risk values last for intermediate durations. The results of the flood RDF curves can provide useful information for policy makers to make the right decisions regarding the effectiveness of the region’s protection structures against future flood risks.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Directorate of Planning and Urban Development (DPAU), Municipality of El Bayadh (APC), Provincial Directorate of Hydraulics (DHW), Directorate of Civil Protection (DPC), National Meteorological Office (ONM), and Directorate of Environment for their provide data and helpful technical support.

Funding

This research study was supported by the Directorate General for Scientific Research and Technological Development (DGRSDT, its French acronym) under the National Research Fund project (contribution to flood risk management in El Bayadh region).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ecology of Arid Ecosystems and Climate Risks Division, Scientific and Technical Research Center On Arid Regions (CRSTRA), BP 1682, Biskra, 07000, Algeria

    Mohammed Madi, Mohammed Amin Hafnaoui & Ali Hachemi

  2. Research Laboratory of Civil Engineering, Hydraulics, Environment and Sustainable Development- LARGHYDE, Mohamed Kheider University, BP 145 RP, Biskra, 07000, Algeria

    Mohammed Amin Hafnaoui

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Madi, M., Hafnaoui, M.A. & Hachemi, A. Risk evaluation and mitigation against flood danger in an arid environment. A case study (El Bayadh region, Algeria). Environ Monit Assess 195, 280 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10905-z

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