Flood hydrograph modeling studies by using GIS and HEC-HMS for Dakar, Senegal

Dakar, capital city of Senegal, has a hot semi-arid climate with a short rainy season. Dakar's rainy season lasts from July to October. Floods due to rainfall during this short period of time cause destruction in residential area and loss of life and properties. Actually, the main reason of destructions and losses is not exactly the heavy rains. Houses built in the floodplain and settlements in this area destroy the nature of the floodplain and cause disasters. To avoid disasters caused by flooding, conservation and mitigation studies and activities should be performed in natural floodplains. The main objective of this study is applying hydrological model to Dakar Basin and obtaining flood hydrographs of the basin. In the study, for determination of watershed boundaries and drainage lines, Geospatial Hydrologic Modeling Extension (HEC-GeoHMS); for hydrologic modeling studies, Hydrologic Engineering Center's Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS) software's were applied to Dakar Basin. According to the modeled hydrographs, results will try to be interpreted. Moreover, it is aimed to use obtained model parameters for Dakar's flood prevention studies.