Delimitação de Áreas Inundáveis no Centro Urbano de Amarante, Norte de Portugal, utilizando o Software Iber

Abstract

The analysis of fl oods, considered extreme and potentially devastating processes, is important for territories that are frequently aff ected, such as the Portuguese territory, where, annually, these natural disasters cause losses and damages, aff ecting people, goods and services in several places along the country. In this sense, we analyze the fl oods on the urban center of Amarante city (northern region of Portugal) whose main purpose is the delimitation of fl ood-prone areas, and also the determination of other descriptive parameters of the fl ood, such as depth and water velocity. Therefore, the Iber software was used a two-dimensional mathematical model for the simulation of water fl ow in rivers and estuaries (BLADÉ et al., 2012). The obtained results show the most critical areas to the occurrence of these extreme events, and in the case of the city of Amarante, two streets on the left bank of the Tâmega river (Rua 31 de Janeiro and Largo Conselheiro António Cândido) stand out. These streets concentrate a lot of activities and services which make them very busy places and, in case of fl ood, entail many direct and indirect losses and material damages in several commercial establishments. In addition, with the results, we can understand the big infl uence that the existing bridge in the studied sector (historical São Gonçalo bridge) has in the aggravation of these processes, once it act as a barrier to the water circulation. The application of hydraulic modeling in the study of fl oods is an asset, since the process generates reliable results, allowing the defi nition of critical areas for the occurrence of these events, through the elaboration of cartography that shows itself as an important instrument, in support of appropriate spatial planning. However, it is important to highlight that hydraulic modeling is very dependent on the input data, in particular, on a detailed digital surface model (DSM).