Study of flooding in the city of Morelia Michoacan, Mexico

Abstract

This paper focuses on the analysis of the degree of flooding vulnerability to which the city of Morelia is usually exposed to. Our concern arises due to the fact that every rainy season several neighborhoods in Morelia tend to get flooded, especially in the northern part of the city which the “Rio Grande” runs through. The southeastern part of the city, through which the “Rio Chiquito” reaches into, is often affected as well. Heavy rainfall in the upper part of the basin causes great flows, which in turn endanger the neighborhoods that are located near these rivers. The runoff of both rivers, “Grande” and “Chiquito”, was analyzed in order to create a computer-generated model using HEC-RAS to evaluate the displacement of their free surface waters under permanent moving conditions in each river as well as the geometric conditions of their transversal sections. The amount of water flow was also measured taking into consideration the bridges that rest across them without overlooking the geometry of such structures. Having gathered all these data, the most vulnerable spots were identified and some simple preventive measures and actions were proposed. Such measures and actions will help diminish or even eliminate flooding risks for the settlements nearby these two main innercity water streams.