Flood mitigation in hill torrents, a case

study of Baroach Nullah in Mianwali

District, Punjab, Pakistan

Submitted to Prof. Dr. Abdul Sattar Shak

Submitted by Farrukh Abbas
Registration No. 2016-MS-CEH-03
Problem Statement

 Flashy floods of hill torrents bring devastation causing serious

environmental and economic hazards in different parts of
Pakistan.
 The complexity of hill torrent problem is challenging for
engineers and planners. These torrents damage vast lands,
abadis and infrastructure due to erosive action and spillage.
 In view of this, there is need to carry out a comprehensive
study and to develop plans for their management based
upon a detailed frequency and risk analysis.
 Of equal importance is the need to harness the flood waters
for beneficial use since the area is severely deficient in water
resources.
Background

 Rushing stream descending from a

hill/mountain having a very high ratio of
maximum and minimum flow which is
generally of very short duration is called hill
torrent.
 contributes about 65% (517,461 Sq. Km) area
of Pakistan.
 District Mianwali is one of such areas which
are affected by hill torrents. The district
comprises three tehsils i.e. Mianwali, Isa Khel,
and Piplan.
Assignment Area

Chichali
Adwala
Katha Jabba
Baroach

Rakka

Darsola
 LAYOUT OF BAROACH NULLAH
 Koh-e-Suleman
 Total catchment area
(36819 acres)
 17792 acres (KPK)
 19027 acres (Punjab)
 Main stream (29 miles)
 15 miles (mountainous)
 No perennial flow
Baroach Nullah
Major Flood Related Problems of
Hill Torrents
 During flood both in summer and winter, on occurrence of heavy
rainfall in the mountains, these torrents create havoc in the adjoining
areas as vast land, abadies & infrastructure are damaged due to
erosive action and spillage.
 Flood water is diverted through constructing temporary small earthen
bunds across the channels. These bunds divert only low flows and
generally fail in case the flood flows exceed certain limits causing
inundation of the area.
 Most of the hill torrents do not have well defined routes in the downside
valley and disappear into thick layer of sediment. This causes spreads of
flood water over agriculture lands and private abadies.
 The catchment area is generally bare. Due to heavy rainfalls of short
duration and high land slopes, the flood flows carries high sediment
load, which is deposited over the farmlands, thereby making those
farmlands out of production.
Data Collection

 Hydrological Data
 Rainfall Data:
Rainfall record (1972 to 2013) -Pakistan Meteorological Department.
 Flood Data
2010 & 2015 Flood, Punjab Irrigation Department.
 Topographical Survey Data-ACE Pvt. Ltd.
 Conditional Survey Report of the Assignment Area- ACE Pvt. Ltd
 PC-I Baroach (PMO)
Existing Structures

The Assignment area is under the jurisdiction of the Punjab Irrigation

Department and they have already done some works along the
Baroach nullah for flood mitigation:
 Divide Wall at Mallah Khel
 Stud at Jattan Wala
 Left Bank Protection Wall at village Gagar Khel
 Stud, Protection Wall and Stone Pitched Section on Right Bank at 1
km downstream of Gagran Wala near Mehr Shah Wali village
 Left Bank Protection Wall 1 km downstream of Gagran Wala near
Mehr Shah Wali village
 Right Bank Studs and Protection Wall near Mehr shah Wali
Line Diagram of Existing Structures at Baroach Nullah
Divide Wall at Mallah Khel
Divide Wall at Mallah Khel
 About 50-60 ft length of the wall at its
upstream was eroded during floods of
2013 and 2014.
 As can be seen in Figure, sand is
deposited along toe of the wall. Since
construction of the divide wall, no
maintenance/repair has been carried
out.
Stud at Jattan Wala

 A stud of stone masonry was found to exist

near village Jattan Wala. It was
constructed by Agency for Barani Areas
Development (ABAD) to protect right bank
of the Nullah against erosion.
 But due to floods and lack of
maintenance, its major part has got
damaged .
Left Bank Protection Wall at
Village Gagar Khel
 A gabion wall was constructed to strengthen
left bank of the Nullah near village Gagar
Khel during financial year 2011–12 .
 The gabion wall performed well during the
recent floods and it was found to be intact
with the stones in position; however GI wire
of the crates is getting rusted.
Stud, Protection Wall and Stone Pitched Section on
Right Bank at about 1 km downstream of Gagran Wala
near Mehr Shah Wali village

Stud on Right Bank Gabion Wall D/S of Stud

Stud, Protection Wall and Stone Pitched Section on
Right Bank at about 1 km downstream of Gagran
Wala near Mehr Shah Wali village

Stone Pitching and Sediment Deposition

Left Bank Protection Wall at 1 km downstream
of Gagran Wala near Mehr Shah Wali Village

Left Bank Protection Wall

Right Bank Studs and Protection Wall
near Mehr Shah Wali Village

Gabion Wall and Stud

Side View of Stud
HYDRO METEOROLOGICAL STUDIES

 In this section, results of Hydro meteorological studies are presented

that include estimation of floods of different return periods,
estimation of peak of 2010 & 2015 floods and quantitative
assessment of water availability in Baroach Nullah.
Rainfall Frequency Analysis

Return Period Rainfall (inches)

(Years)

Gumble Log Pearson III GEV

2 3 2.95 2.95
5 4.05 4.02 4.05
10 4.76 4.76 4.76
20 5.47 5.43 5.47
25 5.67 5.67 5.71
50 6.34 6.34 6.42
100 7.01 7.01 7.13
200 7.67 7.72 7.83
500 8.54 8.62 8.77

One-Day Probable Rainfall of Different Return Periods

Frequency Analysis of 1-Day Maximum Rainfall of Mianwali

In order to ascertain floods of different return periods, HEC-HMS Model was

employed for the transformation of rainfall into runoff.
Catchment Characteristics of
Baroach Nullah
 For estimation of catchment area, slope and stream length of Baroach
Nullah, Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data of Shuttle Radar Topographic
Mission (SRTM) was utilized.

Catchment Area Stream Length Stream Slope

Type

Total
Acres miles ft/mile
(Acres)

Hilly 20016 13.67 110.4

36819
Plain 16803 14.60 32.2
Rainfall Distribution

 Observed Rainfall pattern of 2010 storm of Mianwali station is shown

in the following table, which was utilized as input data in HEC-HMS
model.
Sr. No. 3-hr Rainfall Distribution (inches)

1 0.59
2 0.19
3 1.49
4 2.17
5 1.65
6 0.79
7 1.18
8 0.04

Three-hr Distribution of 2010 Storm in Mianwali

Transformation of Rainfall into
Runoff
 By using the above data, the rainfall values of different return
periods were transformed into runoff and the estimated values of
floods of different return periods are as follows:
Return Period (Years) Discharge (Cusecs)

2 3,350
5 5,300
10 6,600
25 8,400
50 9,700
100 11,100
200 12,450
500 14,300

Probable Floods of Different Return Period

Flood of 2010

Isohyetal Map of Baroach Catchment (2010 Storm)

The estimated value of rainfall over the Baroach Watershed is 165 mm & the
estimated peak of 2010 storm is 10,500 cusecs.
Flood of 2015

Isohyetal Map of Baroach Catchment (2015 Storm)

The estimated value of rainfall over the Baroach Watershed is 212 mm & the estimated
peak of 2015 storm is 14,400 cusecs, which is 37% higher than the peak of 2010 storm.
Water Availability

 On the basis of observed rainfall data (1972-2013), the estimated

mean annual precipitation is 15.24 inches. Monthly distribution is
given below in Table.

Months Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual

Rainfall
0.63 0.83 1.61 0.94 0.75 0.72 2.99 4.33 1.77 0.28 0.04 0.35 15.24
(inches)

 FAO guidelines (Guidelines on Spate Irrigation, 2010) have been

adopted for determination of water availability of Baroach Nullah.
Water Availability

Average Monthly Rainfall at Mianwali

Water Availability

 By using FAO guidelines, the computed value of annual runoff

volume for Baroach nullah is 4664 acre feet. By using rainfall monthly
distribution ,mean monthly flows have been estimated as given
below in Table:
Ma Annua
Months Jan Feb Mar Apr June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
y l
Runoff
Volume
193 254 493 288 230 220 915 1325 542 86 12 107 4664
(acre
feet)

Average Monthly Runoff Volume in acre feet

 Although Baroach Nullah is non-perennial, but the rainfall shower of

few hours produces a certain volume of water that are shown
above in above table.
PROPOSED REMEDIAL WORKS FOR
FLOOD MITTIGATION
Following arrangements have been proposed and designed;
 division of flows in the upstream reaches between Baroach and
Adwala nullah near Mallah Khel village to improve distribution.
 checking channel capacity to avoid inundation for design flood
and to propose necessary mitigation measures.
 analysis of alternatives to avoid damages downstream of Mianwali
Bannu Road Bridge to River Indus creek.
 bank protection for a reach immediately upstream of Mianwali
Bannu Road Bridge.
BAROACH NULLAH- PROPOSED
DEVELOPMENT PLAN
BAROACH NULLAH-PROPOSED DISPERSION
STRUCTURE NEAR MALLAH KHEL
BAROACH NULLAH-PROPOSED DISPERSION
STRUCTURE NEAR MALLAH KHEL
Channel Capacity Analysis of
Baroach Nullah
 It has been noted that for the design discharge of 8500 Cusec almost all the
locations of Baroach Nullah are safe against inundation except a small portion of
2,000 ft near Meliwal for which a levee has been proposed.
 Bank Protection Upstream of Mianwali-
Bannu Road Bridge

View of Baroach Nullah from Upstream of Gully Formation on Right Bank upstream of
Bridge showing broken Nullah Banks Mianwali-Bannu Road Bridge
Constructed of Un-compacted Bed Material
 View of Baroach Nullah 1000 ft Upstream of Mianwali-
Elevation Difference of about 10 ft on Right
Bannu Road Bridge showing erosion of unprotected
Bank Top to NSL near Bridge
Nullah Banks constructed of Un-compacted Bed
Material
View of Baroach Nullah 6000 ft Upstream of Bridge near
Jallu Khail showing Existing Stone Pitching on Right Bank
Alternatives to Avoid Damages Downstream of
Mianwali-Bannu Road Bridge
Proposed Alternative-III
COST COMPARISON OF THREE
ALTERNATIVES
 The comparison of three alternatives suggested that Alternative-III is
less expensive as compare to Alternative I & II because length of
Alternative-III is less than other two alternatives.
CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
 Flood studies of Baroach nullah concluded 2010 flood was 10,500
cusecs magnitude equivalent to 100-years return period. However,
fierce rainfall of 2015 brought flood of higher magnitude i.e. 14,400
cusecs.
 Design flood i.e. 10,500 cusecs has been dispersed at Mallah Khel by
providing dispersion structures that conveys 8500 cusecs to Baroach
nullah and 2000 cusecs is diverted to Adwala nullah. Flexible
dispersion structures of gabions have been provided with energy
dissipation arrangement downstream of the structure.
 For mitigation of floods downstream of Mianwali-Bannu Road Bridge,
three alternative schemes have been studied. Alternative-I is
planned at left side of the floodplain whereas Alternative-II and
Alternative-III have been planned at right side of the floodplain.
CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
 The comparison of three alternatives suggested that Alternative-III is
less expensive and involves lower adverse environmental impacts as
compare to Alternative I & II. Keeping in view cost and
environmental impacts, Alternative-III is more favorable as
compared to the other alternatives.
 The Baroach nullah banks upstream of Mianwali Bannu Road Bridge
are safe against inundation except a small portion of 2,000ft near
Meliwal for which a levee has been proposed.
 Bank slope protection in form of stone pitching has been proposed
for the left bank of nullah reach from RD 66+743 to Mianwali Bannu
Road Bridge.
 Operation and maintenance plan should be prepared for proper
functioning of the gabion structures and stone pitching.