Optimal operation of the reservoir to reduce the flood damage (case study: Karkheh dam)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Water Resources Engineering, Faculty of Civil, Water and Environmental Engineering, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil, Water and Environmental Engineering, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

10.22059/jwim.2025.390592.1209

Abstract

Given the high potential for flooding in many regions of Iran, optimal reservoir management for reducing flood-related damages is of significant importance. This study aims to provide an optimization model for managing reservoir operations during flood events. In this research, the Karun Dam and the 2019 flood were selected as the case study. A Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm was used to minimize the difference between the release discharge and the permissible discharge (damage threshold downstream). The decision variables were the daily release values from the reservoir during the flood period. The results showed that using the optimization model significantly improved the objective function (the difference from permissible discharge). For permissible discharges of 400, 600, and 800 cubic meters per second, the improvement in the objective function was 11%, 17%, and 37%, respectively. Additionally, the maximum release discharge decreased from about 2,500 cubic meters per second in the actual operation to around 1,900 cubic meters per second in the optimized model. Sensitivity analysis indicated that increasing the maximum permissible storage volume in the reservoir could further reduce damages. This study demonstrates that optimal reservoir operation can significantly reduce flood-related damages. Furthermore, reducing reservoir storage before peak rainfall events and gradual water release are among the proposed strategies. The findings of this study can assist in improving reservoir operation policies.

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References

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Water and Irrigation Management
Volume 15, Issue 2
October 2025
Pages 265-277

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