Floods and Structural Anthropogenic Barriers (Roads and Waterworks) Affecting the Natural Flow of Waters: Hydraulic Modelling and Proposals for the Final Section of the River Segura (Spain)

Abstract

Floods are the climate hazard that has the greatest socio-economic and territorial impact on the world. The root causes of these events are atmospheric and hydrological phenomena. However, human action usually aggravates their effects, as it alters the normal functioning of the river courses and water flows. The installation of road, rail and hydraulic infrastructures in a floodplain with no prior calculation or appropriate adaptation exacerbates the negative consequences of floods, increasing the extension of the flooded area and the height of the flood waters. This study addresses the problem of the barrier effect generated, on the one hand, by the layout of the N-332 road, as it is built at the same level as the ground, hindering the flow of overflowing water during episodes of flooding, and on the other hand, the channelling wall of the Segura River in the final stretch of its mouth, in the towns of San Fulgencio and Guardamar del Segura. These elements have aggravated flooding in this area. In order to analyse the consequences of the flood, IBER (v.3.3) software has been used to model a flood with similar effects to that of the episode of September 2019. The current situation has also been analysed with two openings in order to determine the effects that a future flood would have. After analysing the results, a proposal to correct the barrier effect of the N-332 road and the new channelling wall of the River Segura has been elaborated upon and then modelled. The results are positive and effective in reducing the negative effects of floods in the lower basin of the River Segura.