Estimation Of Maximal Acceptable Flows Using Groundwater-Surface Water Relationships For The Kura River, Azerbaijan

Abstract

Floods in the Kura River of Azerbaijan occur most often along the alluvial plain of the cachment area, where the river frequency meanders and streambed slopes are very shallow. It is illustrated that construction of dykes and leaves actually do not prevent flooding, where hydrologic connections between groundwater and surface water are high. The paper suggests an approach to define maximal acceptable flows (MAF) in the lower part in order to predict floods and regulate outlets from the upper reservoirs. MAF computations before high-water season allows for further regulation of outlets further downstream in order to prevent flooding and enable to forecast floods. While the study focuses on the specific region, the overall approach suggested is generic and may be applied for elsewhere.