UNIT 12 RIVER TRAINING FOR FLOOD

CONTROL
Structure
12.1 Introduction
Objectives

12.2 Flood Diversion and Channel Improvement

12.3 River Training for Flood Control
12.4 River Training for Protection of Cities and Industries
12.5 Summary
12.6 Key Words
12.7 Answers to SAQs

12.1 INTRODUCTION
The river needs to be trained in some of its reach (or reaches, as discussed in Unit 1) for a
variety of purposes. But, it may he pointed out that for purposes of flood control, river
training assumes special importance in view of the magnitude of life and property needed
to be protected. The problem in the plains of India - U. P., Bihar, and some parts of
north-eastern India - is acute in the destruction that floods bring in their wake.

Objectives
After studying this unit, you should be able to explain
how a flood can be diverted,
how a channel can be improved,
how a river is to be trained to control floods, and
how a river is to be trained to protect cities and industries on river banks prone
to damage by floods.

12.2 FLOOD DIVERSION AND CHANNEL

IMPROVEMENT
There are two broad categories of measures to deal with floods such as, flood diversion
and channel improvement.
Flood Diversion
For controlling floods in a river, there are four possible ways, namely :
(1) A portion of the flood discharge can be diverted through its old channels, if
the river is wandering from year to year, which is very common in flat terrain.
This may require some improvement along the course and cross-section of the
channel.
(2) It is possible to divert the flood waters from one river into another adjacent
river if the floods peaks of the two river systems do not occur simfdtaneously.
As an example the Yellow River in China is proposed to be diverted into the
Huai River for floods above 25,000 cumec.
(3) The river may also be diverted into suitable depressions so that only a selected
area is subject to the ravages of floods during exceptional floods, instead of
permitting the river to breach its embankments. This is the method that has
been adopted on the Mahanadi, where breaching sections are provided at
appropriate places, as well as on Jhelum near Srinagar.
(4) The river may be directed to the sea by constructing flood-ways.
River Trdnlnp Channel Improvement
The enhancement of the 'discharge capacity of natural chu~nelsby means of straightening.
making cutoffs, removing vegetation, widening or deepening, and thereby decreasing
flood stages, may be efficient, hut it is fairly !imited in value. The lowering of the flood
stage that can be achieved in this manner depends largely upon the extent of vegetal
encroachment or meandering and shoaling present. There is a practical limit to the
amount of straightening, widening or deepening that can be maintained. These methods
are generally used along with and to supplement levee systenl?.
In order to release the flood waters without damaging either the structures or the
surroundings the channel needs to be improved with suitable diversion works. Diversion
works consist of spillways with gates for regulation. It may be done by leaving some gaps
in the embankments, with or without concrete, masonry or stone pitching, to prevent the
u~egulatedflow of water (through the gap) from damaging the works. It is desirable to
provide a regulator at the intake of a flood-way or a diversioil channel, m order that the
channel is able to draw the requisite proportion of flood waters.

12.3 RIVER TRAINING FOR FLOOD CONTROL

River training for flood control includes high-water river training (mainly by dykes),
diversion and flood relief channels with or without control structures, and flood control
reservoirs. High water training is aimed at expeditious disposal of maximum (high
magnitude) floods. It is mainly related to the most suitable alignment and height of
marginal embankments for disposing off the floods and may also include other schemes
of charnel improvement for the same purpose.
River training, in this context, include use of natural detention basins, resorting to
interbasin transfer, construction of leaves and flood walls, construction of emergency
floodways, bank stabilisation, development of underground storage, and flood plain
management.
Selection of Design Flood
It is obviously necessary to estimate the maximum possible floods on the river, and select
a suitable (on the considerations of economics - cost-benefit ratio) design flood to base
the proposed flood-control project on. The design flood can correspond to anyone of the
following criteria, depending on the importance of the project, and the degree fo
protection that is envisaged :
(i) Maximum prvbable flood (MPF),
(ii) Standard prqject flood (SPF),
A flood corresponding to a desired frequency of its occurrence.
(iii)
Maximum Probable Flood
It is the magnitude of the flood that may be expected due to tge most severe combinatioil
of meteorological and hydrological conditions that can reasonably occur in the region
under consideration.
Stanclard Project Flood
It is the flood that may be expected from the most severe combination of meteorological
and hydrological conditions that are reasonably charuclerislic of the region, hut e.~:c!udes
extremely rare combinations.
Flood Corresponding to Desired Frequency of Occurrence
It is generally taken as that flood that corresponds to a given frequency of occurrence that
is determinated by economic and other practical considerations.
 Flood Contml Reservoirs River Training for
Flood Control
A flood control reservoir temporarily stores a pre-determined fraction of the flood to
reduce the flood peak to the desired extent. Such a reservoir is placed just upstream of the
location/locations to be protected. The reservoir is operated to limit its outflow to the
safe-carrying capacity of the channel downstream.
Construction of a reservoir only for flood control is rarerly economical; in India this
function is Incorporated in multipurpose reservoirs. Generally the space between spillway
crest level and the top of the gate (FRL) is allocated for this purpose. Even in other
reservoirs, the space between the maximum reservoir level and the full reservoir level is
always available for temporary flood storage.
I
If ideal location Gust upstream of the point of interest) for the reservoir is not suitable, we
may follow the criterion found from the study of reservoirs in USA - in general, at least
I one-third of the total drainage area should be under the reservoir control for effective
results. Economic and practical advantages may suggest several small reservoirs.
I Levees and Flood Walls
These are basically long~tudinaldams laid along the river banks roughly parallel to the
direchon of flow (Figure 12.1) preventing spilling of flood waters into the adjoining land.
Levees are usually constructed of locally available material excavated from the borrow
pits dug parallel to the levee line. They are generally laid beyond the meander belt of the
meandering river. As fa as practicable very few curves should appear in their alignment.
A ring levee is used to protect a given low-lying area, encircling it completely.

LEVEE

Flgure 121:Layout d Levees

Flood walls are used amidst developed areas where it is not easy to obtain enough land to
lay the levees, which necessarily require a very large base width (having a trapezoidal
section). Flood wall is a miniature gravity dam to withstand the hydrostatic pressure.
Levees, obviously, disturb the stage-discharge relationship of the river both upstream and
downstream of the location as well as at the location itself. Its effect has to be taken note
of; and if levees are used in combination with reservoirs and channel improvement, the
undesirable increase in stages can be mitigated .
Improvement in the River Channel
Channel improvement, as flood control measures, is aimed at reducing the flood stage in
a given reach. It increases the carrying capacity of the river increasing the cross-sectional
area and decreasing rugosity coefficient. Generally, the section is deepened instead of
being widened; it is, firstly more practicable, and also by it the hydraulic radius increases
more rapidly in comparisons. Sometimes a situation demands re-alignment of the channel
to achteve the above mentioned purpose. Providing adequate waterways at bridge and
adequate crossings is also helpful in reducing afflux during floods.
It may be pointed out that channel improvement may tend to increase the flood
magnitude at some downstream locations.
River Training Diversion of Flood Water to Floodways
Floodways are large depressions into which flood waters from a river are sometimds
diverted to save cities, etc. Obviously, these floodways store (temporarily, generally) a
part of flood during its peak flow. The required diversion chaimel may be available
naturally, or be man made. After the peak is over, the water from the depression is flown
back to river through a suitable channel - like the interaction between river Jhelum and
Dal lake in Kashmir.
Diversion of flood waters increase the flow veloc~tyupstream of the diversion channel,
and thus, decreases the stage on the upstream reach. As the floodways are normally under
use only during major floods, the land can be used for agriculture during #her times,
provided the depression is normally a dry land.
Flood Plain Management
The flood plain management includes following measures :
(i) Flood-plain Zoning : It aims at restricting the occupancy of the plain to the
zones that suffer little or no damage during floods; while in some zones Ule
development activities can be prohibited, leaving them free for agricultural
use.
(ii) Flood Prooring :Here in individual properties are enclosed by ring bun& or
levees to guard against occasional floods.

12.4 RIVER TRAINING FOR PROTECTION OF CITIES

AND INDUSTRIES
Cities, towns and industries situated on river banks are often threatened by flood waters.
River training is, obviously, required to prevent the damage to life and property. The
required river training works are constructed after extensive model tests are conducted to
study the impact of various measures that can be contemplated. Detailed surveys of the
river channel and the banks are carried out to prepare the model that is to he tested.

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 An example of river training for protection of cities is that of Dibrugarh town, Assam. River Training for
Flood Control
The Dibru river, a small tributary of the Brahmaputra, joins it about 6.4 km upstream of
the town at present, whereas it joined the river about 6.4 km downstream of the town in
the past. During the 1954 floods, about 14 % of the town which included several
important buildings got washed away. The length to be protected was about 6.4 km and as
stone required for protection and the ballies needed for the timber spurs had to be
obtained from as far away as 480 km, a combination of 5 stone spurs and 15 permeable
timber spurs (Figure 12.2) was prepared and checked on the model. In the original design
the stone spurs were pointing downstream. The model showed that much better results
would be obtained if the spurs were made to point upstream as the high velocity current
would be deflected further away from the bank. Stone spurs consisted of irregular shaped
stones and boulders encased in large wire crates 3.1 m x 1.5 m x 0.9 m constructed at site
and dumped into the river, commencing from the bank and going towards the river, till
the required length was attained. The first spur at the upstream end of the reach was
122 m long and the remaining 4 spurs were 60 m long. The bank for a length of 15 m
: immediately upstream and downstream of the stone spur was pitched with stone to
prevent erosion due to return flow and eddies. The spurs have successfully withstood the

I attack of the river during and after the floods of 1955. The noses of the stone spurs get
slumped into the river due to undermining but these are immediately made good by
dumping in more stones. Thus, Dibrugarh town is saved froin further destruction.

12.5 SUMMARY
River training for flood control consists, mainly of diversion of flood, and improvement
of the channel cross-section. For, effecting economy in flood control projects, one has to
select the design flood for formulating and designing suitable measures. Flood control
reservoirs, levees and flood walls, spurs, retiring bunds, ring bunds, pitched islands, and
flood plain management consotute the fundamental training works to control floods and
rninimise damage to life and property.

12.6 KEY WORDS

Channel Improvement
Flood Diversion
1 Protection of Cities
River Training
: A measure to control floods in a river by enlarging the
discharging capacity of a natural channel.
: A method of controlling floods in a river by diverting a
portions of the flood into other adjacent river or channel.
: Objective of river training works for providing safety to
the structures and population from the effects of floods.
: Measures for constricting the river to a specific channel
so as not to damage other structures.

12.7 ANSWERS TO SAQs

Refer the preceding text and reference material to get the answer.