Estimation of Discharge From Upper Kabul River Basin, Afghanistan Using the Snowmelt Runoff Model

Abstract

In this study, we estimated discharge from Upper Kabul River basin in the Hindu Kush Mountain (Paghman range) in Afghanistan. The Upper Kabul River basin covers an area of 1633.8km2 with a maximum elevation of 4522 m and minimum elevation of 1877 m. The Kabul River is one of the main rivers in Afghanistan and sustains a significant flow of water in summer months due to the melting of snow. In this study, daily discharge from Upper Kabul River basin, west of Kabul basin, for 2009 and 2011 is estimated by using Snowmelt Runoff Model (SRM) (Version 1.12, 2009), originally developed my J. Martinec in 1975. Daily precipitation, air temperature, discharge and snow cover data are used in the model as input variables. We calibrated the model for 2009 and validated in 2011. The observed and calculated annual average discharges in 2009 are 5.7m3/s and 5.6m3/s, respectively; and in 2011 are 1.33m3/s and 1.31m3/s, respectively. The model results are in good agreement with the measured daily discharges. With an increase of 1°C in temperature and 10% precipitation, the increase in discharge in winter, summer and annually relative to 2009 discharge are 39%, 18.5% and 17.9%, respectively. Similarly, with an increase of 2°C in temperature and 20% in precipitation, modeled discharge increases by 51.2%, 40.8% and 47.3%, respectively. The results obtained suggest that the SRM can be used efficiently for estimating discharge in the snow fed sub-catchment of the Upper Kabul River basin and other mountain basins in Afghanistan.Journal of Hydrology and Meteorology, Vol. 9(1) 2015, p.85-94

Assessment of Climate Change Impact on Snowmelt Runoff in Himalayan Region

“…A test carried out in the watershed of the Kuban River basin in Russia showed that the SRM can simulate both diurnal water flow and snow water equivalents in hilly places with high accuracy [33]. Streamflow estimates for short to medium term periods (e.g., 1-15 days) have been generated effectively using the SRM in three snowmelt-dominated basins in Idaho, United States [34], and estimation of discharge using Snowmelt Runoff Modeling in the Upper Kabul River, Afghanistan region [35], Salang River basin, Afghanistan [33], Taleghan watershed, Iran [36], Nuranang river catchment Arunachal Pradesh, India [37], Langtang River basin, Nepal [38], Manasi River basin, China [39], the Karakoram and Himalayan Regions of Pakistan [40], Yu-rungkash watershed, China [41], and Horo-Dehno watershed, Iran [42]. Nourani et al [43] studied the snowmelt runoff model (SRM)to estimate the effect of snow on the surface flow of the Aji-Chay basin, northwest Iran, using two calibration techniques to enhance the calibration, applying multi-station calibration (MSC) and single-station calibration (SSC) strategies in order to investigate their effects on modeling accuracy; they found a 15% improvement in model performance with the MSC strategy.…”

Simulating Current and Future River-Flows in the Karakoram and Himalayan Regions of Pakistan Using Snowmelt-Runoff Model and RCP Scenarios

“…This model was used successfully in more than one hundred mountainous basins [35], including those of HKH region [28,[36][37][38][39]. SRM was tested by World Metrological Organization [32] and it was used to investigate the impacts of climatic changes on seasonal river flows in North America, the Swiss Alps, the Himalaya, and in the Upper Indus Basin [40,41].…”

Climate Change Impacts on Water Resource and Air Pollution in Kabul Sub-basins, Afghanistan

“…Afghanistan is a country dominated by a dry climate, with most of the area categorized by effects of global climate changes on hydrological systems, particularly on mountain snow and glacier melting, can adapt the timing and quantity of water stream in mountain watersheds. So, correct stream current simulation and prediction is of great importance to water resources management and forecasting [24] .…”