Bilal Ahmad Munir

In this study, a relation-based dam suitability analysis (RDSA) technique is developed to identify the most suitable sites for dams. The methodology focused on a group of the most important parameters/indicators (stream order, terrain roughness index, slope, multiresolution valley bottom flatness index, closed depression, valley depth, and downslope gradient difference) and their relation to the dam wall and reservoir suitability. Quantitative assessment results in an elevation-area-capacity (EAC) curve substantiating the capacity determination of selected sites. The methodology also incorporates the estimation of soil erosion (SE) using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model and sediment yield at the selected dam sites. The RDSA technique identifies two suitable dam sites (A and B) with a maximum collective capacity of approximately 1202 million m³. The RDSA technique was validated with the existing dam, Gomal-Zam, in the north of Sanghar catchment, where RDSA classified the Gomal-Zam Dam in a very high suitability class. The SE estimates show an average of 75 t-ha⁻¹y⁻¹ of soil loss occurs in the study area. The result shows approximately 298,073 and 318,000 tons of annual average sediment yield (SY) will feed the dam A and B respectively. The SE-based sediment yield substantiates the approximate life of Dam-A and Dam-B to be 87 and 90 years, respectively. The approach is dynamic and can be applied for any other location globally for dam site selection and SE estimation.

There is a global realization in all governmental setups of the need to provoke the efficient appraisal of crop water budgeting in order to manage water resources efficiently. This study aims to use the satellite remote sensing techniques to determine the water deficit in the crop rich Lower Bari Doab Canal (LBDC) command area. Crop classification was performed using multi-temporal NDVI profiles of Landsat-8 imagery by distinguishing the crop cycles based on reflectance curves. The reflectance-based crop coefficients (Kc) were derived by linear regression between normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) cycles of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) MOD13Q1 and MYD13Q1 products and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defined crop coefficients. A MODIS 250 m NDVI product of the last 10 years (2004-2013) was used to identify the best performing crop cycle using Fourier filter method. The meteorological parameters including rainfall and temperature substantiated the reference evapotranspiration (ET0) calculated using the Hargreaves method. The difference of potential ET and actual ET, derived from the reflectance-based Kc calculated using reference NDVI and current NDVI, generates the water deficit. Results depict the strong correlation between ET, temperature and rainfall, as the regions having maximum temperature resulted in high ET and low rainfall and vice versa. The derived Kc values were observed to be accurate when compared with the crop calendar. Results revealed maximum water deficit at middle stage of the crops, which were observed to be particularly higher at the tail of the canal command. Moreover, results also depicted that kharif (summer) crops suffer higher deficit in comparison to rabi (winter) crops due to higher ET demand caused by higher temperature. Results of the research can be utilized for rational allocation of canal supplies and guiding farmers towards usage of alternate sources to avoid crop water stress.

This study aims to monitor the flash flood response of Vidor/Wadore hill torrent in Pakistan by the integration of Personal Computer Storm Water Management Model PCSWMM (hydrologic) and HEC-RAS 5.x (hydraulic) models. The method leverages remote sensing and GIS derive estimates of measured and inferred parameters of Vidor rural catchment to quantify the flash flood events of the last four years: 2014–2017. The calibration of the PCSWMM is performed using the sensitivity-based radio tuning calibration (SRTC) tool. The Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), coefficient of determination (R²), and relative error (RE) values were found between 0.75–0.97, 0.94–0.98, and −0.22–−0.09 respectively. The statistical indicators prove the accuracy of PCSWMM for rural catchments. The runoff response of Vidor torrent is also analyzed for 0.5/12.7, 1.5/38.1, and 2.0/50.8-inch/mm rainfall hyetographs. The generated hydrographs are used to simulate 2D-module in HEC-RAS 5.x for floodplain demarcation in the piedmont area. The accuracy of the flood extent is analyzed using spatial overlay analogy in the ArcGIS environment by comparing simulated and historically available flood extents. The simulated flood extent shows 76% accuracy with historic flood extent. The impact of flash flood events shows wheat, maize, and fruit orchards are the most effected agriculture in piedmont area. The results revealed that the integration of hydrological, hydraulic, and geospatial modeling approaches can be used to model a full picture of catchment response during flash flood events.

An improved scheme for the detection of Mediterranean frontal activities is proposed, based on the identification of cloud pattern, thermal gradient and water content of air masses using Meteosat-7 satellite imagery. Owing to highly variable nature of fronts, spatial shift occurring over 1.5 years are analyzed. Full disc imagery of Meteosat-7 satellite is used for the analysis over vast geographical distribution of Eurasia. The study examined the fundamental characteristics of fronts and effects associated with Mediterranean fronts with the analysis for the flood event of 2010 in Pakistan. The results show seasonal as well as annual change in the range of lower and upper latitudinal limits of frontogenesis. Seasons of winter 2011 shows an increase in speed whereas a decrease is observed in summer. The identification process has shown a frontal span over northern areas of Pakistan during flood event of 2010 accentuating the monsoonal rainfall intensity all over the country. The result of this analysis can be used to estimate the behavior of the mid-latitudes global circulations. The anticipated outcome of this research study is the identification of abrupt nature of frontal processes.