Author(s)

M. G. Miguez, L. P. C. de Magalhães & F. F. deAraújo

Abstract

Acari River basin, located at the north zone of Rio de Janeiro city, is one of the most populated regions of this city (with 20% of its total population) and encompasses an area of 107 km2. This watershed is characterized by medium and low-income occupations and suffers from various different problems due to its non-planned urbanisation. Flooding is one of the most critical and complex issues in this region of the city. This problem is worsened by factors such as intense urbanisation, high imperviousness rates, riverbanks and floodplain occupation, existence of hydraulic singularities, tidal influence, among others. In order to manage this situation, the Municipality proposed a canalisation project based on the enlargement of Acari River. This measure alone was not able to solve the problem as it could transfer the flood downstream to highly occupied low-lying areas. In order to adjust design concepts, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro conducted a research searching for a more sustainable flood control measures set. The study was carried out with the support of a hydrodynamic cell model. The model was calibrated based on an intense real flood event and applied to the simulation of scenarios representing present situation and combinations of several structural measures (including the canalisation project). The results have shown that a sustainable solution can be achieved through the combination of the proposed channel design project with other measures such as storage structures, multifunctional landscapes and communities relocation. Keywords: urban floods, sustainable urban drainage, mathematical modelling.

Keywords

urban floods, sustainable urban drainage, mathematical modelling