The Impact of Flash Floods on the Extreme Functioning of Undeveloped Basins: Case of the Srou Catchment (March 2010 Flood) (Oum Er-Rbia Basin, Morocco)

Abstract

Difficult to prevent floods from happening, but it is possible to prepare for it. The knowledge of flood phenomena, their genesis and their operation are the starting point in risk management. In Morocco, the floods are characterized by the rising of water, which constantly causes more and more damage. Many, areas have been deeply affected by this type of hazard, causing particularly significant damage. It is located in the great basin of Oum Er-Rbia (second largest basin on the scale of Morocco). The srou catchment covers an area of 1371.93 km², it is part of the friable Triassic formations of the eastern depression of the plateau central foot of the middle Atlas. It is equipped with two hydrometric stations, El Heri and Chacha namelleh. The altitudes are between 2195 and 670 m. This basin is subject to harsh climatic conditions marked by high precipitation aggressively concentrated and irregular in time and space. This paper aims to characterize the flash floods recorded over the 1971–2015 period, with a focus on the spring flood of 2010. The main objective is to understand the course and behavior of this flood. To do this, we propose a range of hydrological methods for the study and analysis of this important flood.