Flood Hazards in the Chi River Basin, Thailand: Impact Management of Climate Change

The Chi River Basin (CRB) is one of the major river basins in Thailand. Flooding often occurs in this floodplain, which has a profound effect on human life and property. Currently, climate change has a high impact on river discharges and therefore on floods. Hence, the management of flooding to minimize impacts due to climate change is essential and a priority at national and regional levels. The purpose of this study is to provide a quantitative understanding of the impacts of climate change on hydrological regimes and to provide a guideline for coping with the consequences. In this paper, General Circulation Model (GCM) outputs, the Statistical DownScaling Model (SDSM), the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model, the Hydrological Engineering Centre -River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) program, and the Geographic Information System (GIS) were used to determine areas vulnerable to flooding due to climate change. A flood hazard map was developed for the Lampao River Basin (LRB), which is a sub catchment of the CRB. According to the results, an appropriate flood management plan for the area was proposed. The plan involved structural and non-structural measures that integrated three methods of dealing with flood hazards which are modifying the hazards, moderating the impacts, and reducing the risks. Integrated flood management is a complex endeavor therefore computer-based tools that enable analysis of the whole system should be developed to implement the plan efficiently.