Harnessing Hydrological and Hydrodynamic Models for Effective Flood Control and Water Supply in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study addresses the geographic and environmental challenges of floodwater management in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia. It aims to estimate the amount of water that could be stored and utilized through considering different dam heights. The methodology involves determining optimal dam heights, estimating catchment areas using GIS tools, and running hydrological simulations through HEC-RAS and HEC-HMS software. Results of this study indicate that a dam height of 10.0 meters is most effective for flood control and water storage compared to other models as it will be able to provide an approximately 7.64 million cubic meters of storage capacity. The accompanying data calculates that 6,536,008 individuals could be served by the water supply storage, translating to approximately 217,867 individuals per month, representing about 5.37% of Jeddah's total population as of 2020. Assuming these values for all dams in Jeddah, the water supply could support about 40% of individuals per month. This approach would be useful in mitigating flood risks and offering a supplementary water source for desalination. The findings suggest that constructing higher dams could improve flood management and water supply in Jeddah. Accordingly, future research should validate these results with extensive data and assess the economic feasibility of desalination plants.