Contribution of flood Risk Modeling to the Sustainable Management of Water Resources: The case of the Gharb Plain, Morocco

¹ Mohammadia School of Engineers (EMI), Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco
² Scientific Institute, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Over the past few decades, Morocco has faced several episodes of major and recurring floods affecting various regions of the country. The floods observed in the Gharb plain remain the most significant, and are notable for their scale, frequency and devastating impact on the socio-economic fabric, populations, infrastructure and environmental systems. In response to this situation, several methods have been developed to guide efforts to reduce impacts and strengthen resilience. However, concrete actions aimed at sustainably reducing vulnerability remain limited and need to be better integrated into flood management strategies. In this context, the proposed approach is based on the use of remote sensing data (very high-resolution satellite images), climate, soil and hydrological data integrated into geographic information systems (GIS) combined with a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) tool. At the end of this work, the study area was classified according to vulnerability and risk indices ranging from very low to very high, in order to generate meaningful and usable maps. The results show that low-lying areas close to the Sebou River and its tributaries are highly vulnerable, while peripheral areas are moderately exposed. This work highlights the advantages of using various pre-processed data integrated into a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) model to provide reliable and rapid information for vulnerability and risk assessment and the implementation of a sustainable water resource management .