Assessment of Drainage Congestion at Sylhet City of Bangladesh and
Development of Stormwater Drainage Masterplan Using GeoSWMM Model
Abstract
Rapid population growth in Bangladesh has led to an increase in the rate
of urbanization across the country. Runoff is increased due to an
increase in impervious surfaces as a result of urbanization. Sylhet City
Corporation (SCC) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh that
is frequently afflicted by urban flooding and waterlogging as a result
of storm runoff due to heavy rainfall. A substantial portion of the city
suffers from severe drainage congestion, which is caused by the
inadequate drainage system, lack of maintenance of drainage system,
garbage dumping in the drains and canals, and illegal encroachment of
drainage canals. The review of the existing drainage system and the
causes of the drainage congestion in the city area have been assessed in
this study. This study also focuses on the stormwater management of
Goali chhara sub-system of eastern part of Sylhet City Corporation which
is responsible for waterlogging in the study area. The Goali chhara
sub-system has been modeled using GeoSWMM to analyze the stormwater
runoff and to prepare a masterplan of drainage network considering the
climate change issues. The design water level of the Surma river has
been estimated from historical river water level data using the Gumbel
distribution method. Moreover, analyzing the historical rainfall data of
Sylhet Station, the IDF curve for short-duration rainfall has been
developed and the design rainfall intensity of 2-hour and 5-year return
period has been estimated. These hydrological parameters have been used
in the model and prepare the drainage network masterplan. The model has
been calibrated using the estimated runoff coefficients from the land
use map for the sub-catchments. The stream cross-sections for the
10-year return period were found to be larger than that obtained for the
5-year return period. This research will help the local authorities of
Sylhet City Corporation by allowing them to make drainage capacity
expansion decisions that will tackle this critical challenge for the
next 30-40 years.