Comparison between capabilities of HEC-RAS and MIKE11 hydraulic models in river flood risk modelling (a case study of Sungai Kayu Ara River basin, Malaysia)

River flood risk map prediction is a combination of hydrological modelling, hydraulic modelling, river flood visualisation and river flood risk mapping. Two hydraulic models were applied in this research regarding their capabilities in river flood risk studies. These are MIKE11 developed by Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI) and HEC-RAS4.0 by US Army Corps of Engineers. These two hydraulic models are compared in four aspects including credibility, available outcomes, usability of the models and the availability. Sungai Kayu Ara River basin is the case study in this research which is located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The results of the models were compared against observed water level at the outlet of the river basin. The results of this research show that HEC-RAS has more capabilities for river flood risk mapping in comparison with MIKE11 in this case study.