Development an Integrated Sediment Disaster Simulator and Application to Sediment Disaster Mitigation and Reservoir Sedimentation Management in the Brantas River Basin, Indonesia

Abstract

This paper is a concise report of International Research Project (Project Reference Number: 29W-01) entitled of Development of an Integrated Sediment Disaster Simulator and Application to Sediment Disaster Mitigation and Reservoir Sedimentation Management in the Brantas River Basin, Indonesia. The main objectives of the project are to establish an appropriate and adequate mechanism to support the sediment disaster mitigation and the sustainable reservoir sediment management through utilization of most collaborative-based technology on the development of integrated sediment disaster simulator and an establishment of monitoring system for sediment disaster management. We assessed the sediment transport processes in the upstream of Brantas river basin, analyze its potential sediment disaster, and then formulate adaptation strategies to reduce the loss of reservoir capacity. The selected site of this research project is Wlingi reservoir that is located on the southern skirts of Mt. Kelut. This basin is suffering from watershed erosion and heavily loads of volcanic ash ejected from the eruption of Mt. Kelut, the most active volcanoes in Indonesia. The methodology and approaches adopted in this project are then discussed with collaborators via project events for prescribing better accuracies of the improving model. The application of the integrated sediment disaster model to this mountainous watershed has been successfully providing detailed information on sediment transport processes in Wlingi sub-basin. The results show Wlingi reservoir to receive higher volcanic material as bed load and suspended load during high-intensity rainfall from the northern slopes of catchment and sheet erosion material as suspended load from the southern part of remaining basin. Overall, the results are useful to contribute in establishment of variety options to counter sediment disaster in the Wlingi reservoir.