Modelling the flood vulnerability of deltaic Kuching City, Malaysia

• Published in: Natural hazards (Dordrecht) Vol. 58; no. 3; pp. 865 - 875
• Main Authors: Mah, Darrien Yau Seng, Putuhena, Frederik Josep, Lai, Sai Hin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.09.2011; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Civil Engineering; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Environmental Management; Exact sciences and technology; Floods; Geophysics/Geodesy; Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences; Hydrogeology; Natural Hazards; Natural hazards: prediction, damages, etc; River basins; Sea level; Sea level rise; Technical Note; Tidal floods; Tides; Southeast Asia; Malaysia; Far East; Asia; Kuching Malaysia; King Tides; Infoworks RS; River; Sea level rise; Flood; Kuching; rivers; floods; models; inundations; tides; bays; infrastructures; sea level
• ISSN: 0921-030X; 1573-0840
• DOI: 10.1007/s11069-011-9731-x

The main objective of this writing is to present a practical way to envisage the flood vulnerability in deltaic region, particularly on the concern of sea level rise. Kuching city of Malaysia is established on banks of Sarawak River, 30 km from the sea. Therefore, it is subjected to fluvial and tidal floods. Kuching Bay experiences the highest King Tides in Southeast Asia region. These tide magnitudes could be a glimpse of future sea level rise. By means of modelling these tides, it provides an understanding and preparation for the impacts of sea level rise on the flood mitigation infrastructures and the city itself. The modelling efforts had created an illustration that a 10% rise in tide levels would result in increase of flooding areas up to 6% relative to existing tide levels.