Influence of housing and urban development on debris flow flooding and deposition

Abstract

Debris flows form deposits when they reach an alluvial fan until they eventually stop. However, houses located in the alluvial fan might affect the debris flow flooding and deposition processes. Few previous studies have considered the effects of houses on debris flow flooding and deposition. This study conducted model experiments and numerical simulations using the Kanako2D debris flow simulator to determine the influence of houses on debris flow flooding and deposition. The model experiments showed that when houses are present, the debris flow spreads widely in the cross direction immediately upstream of the houses, especially when the flow discharge is large or the grain size is small. Houses located in the alluvial fan also influence the deposition area. The presence of houses led to flooding and deposition damage in some places and reduced the damage in others. The simulation also demonstrated the influence of houses. Both the model experiment and the simulation showed that houses change the flooding and deposition areas.