Dam Break Analysis using HEC-RAS: A Case Study of Karjan Dam

A dam is a structure constructed across river which stores water and supplies water for various purposes. Though the dams have many benefits, there is always a threat of dam break floods which are devastating in nature. Hence it becomes essential to analyze and simulate dam failure scenarios to understand the severity of dam break flood and identify areas under threat which helps in land use planning and developing emergency response plans. This study attempts to carry out dam break/breach analysis for the Karjan dam using a two-dimensional hydraulic model called Hydraulic Engineering Center’s River Analysis System (HEC-RAS). RAS-Mapper tool is used to extract river geometry data from the Cartosat-1 digital elevation model (DEM) and to generate the inundation map to identify the areas affected. The study involves the prediction of breach parameters, breach flood hydrograph, peak flow, flood arrival time, and generation of inundation maps. The dam break model is simulated for unsteady flow conditions using Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) corresponding to different failure scenarios. HEC-RAS tool is utilized to determine the breach outflow hydrograph and hydraulic conditions at critical downstream locations. The outcome will assist the local government in making proper planning and development decisions.