Mapping of flooding risk areas in the Tetouan region: Case of Oued Laou Watershed (Northern-West Morocco)

In the Mediterranean region, the magnitude of floods and their frequencies imposes their consideration by forest managers and local decision makers. In this context, the identification of areas expected to be affected by floods is a fundamental information to improve the management of this risk. The methodology developed in this paper allows presenting a tool to assess flooding risk across the river basin. It is based on the idea that the risk of flooding is the resultant of the random factor (frequency of natural phenomena) and the vulnerability factor (sensitivity of land use). The purpose of this article is to make a flood risk map of the Oued Laou plain, which includes the two urban areas Oued Laou. The realization of this map requires a hydrological study to calculate the maximum capacity of the region and a hydraulic study to determine the speed and height of the centennial flood of Oued Laou using the Iber 2.0.3 software. The results will be presented as thematic maps, using the Arcgis 9.3 software, which enable to managers and local authorities to propose mitigation measures in areas expected to be affected by the floods and to act more efficiently in case of flooding. Thus, the study showed the prevalence of high flood hazard while the vulnerability is more moderate; indeed, it is increasingly felt with the growth known in the region in terms of urban planning and infrastructure.