Browsing by Author "Aikins, Thomas"

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    Floodplain modelling assessment: case study of Weija catchment, Ga West District
    (2009-08-23) Aikins, Thomas
    Many regions throughout the world have experienced severe river flooding during the recent years. The Weija catchment, which is located in the Ga West District of Ghana in West Africa, is no exception with over 5,000 people affected every year by floods in the area. When land development encroachments into river floodplains are permitted, the magnitude of flood peak discharge increases due to removal of floodplain storage. This study approached the problem of flood modelling using HEC-RAS, which is a flexible 1-dimensional hydraulic model. The analyses made in this study provide indications of the effects of encroachments on flood characteristics; however, the problem is such that each individual case of the left and right channel distance are analysed separately to determine the land which must be allocated in the event of flood. The results from this study revealed that removal of structures in the flood plain and hence subsequent widening of the existing narrow flood bank of the channels will help reduce the devastating effects of the floods whenever the spillways of the dams are opened.