Evaluation of hydraulic performance and modeling of Kabul urban sewer network development using SewerGEMS and ArcGIS

Abstract

Sewage management is one of the most significant environmental and public health issues in Kabul, Afghanistan, due to the city’s rapid growth and inadequate sewer systems. Using a combination of hydraulic and geographical analysis tools, this study examines the viability and efficiency of a decentralized wastewater collection system in Kabul’s District 4. To enable decentralized planning, the study area was separated into five zones. A high-resolution satellite image, a digital elevation model (DEM), and land-use/land-cover data were used to create a geometrical sewage network model using ArcGIS. Hydraulic analysis and system design have been conducted using SewerGEMS, and the design parameters have been modified multiple times to ensure compliance with the standard sewerage design requirements. To assess the system’s functioning and dependability, hydraulic elements such as flow velocity, pipe diameter, slope, and profile were deemed significant and were assessed. The findings demonstrate that the decentralized zone-based sewer collection network is both technically and hydraulically feasible for the study area. Because the hydraulic model was developed based on established sewerage engineering criteria and adapted to the local topographical and urban conditions of the study area, the simulation results indicate that decentralized wastewater collection systems can provide a technically feasible and context-sensitive approach for improving urban sanitation planning in Kabul and other data-limited urban environments.