Numerical Modelling of Debris Flows for Simulation-Based Decision Support: An Indian Perspective

Abstract

Debris flows are catastrophic landslides owing to their very high velocities and impact. The number of such flows is likely to increase due to an increase of extreme weather events in a changing climate. At the same time, risk reduction and mitigation plans call for a quantitative assessment of the hazard. Numerical models are powerful tools in quantifying debris flows in terms of flow height and velocity with respect to both space and time, and to derive mitigation-relevant diagnostics such as impacted area. However, the current modelling practices possess critical challenges that limit their application in a forward-directed analysis to predict the debris flow’s impact. This work provides an overview of the past and current practices in debris flow modelling, their potential use in simulation-based decision support and the challenges and future research scope in computational debris flow modelling, based on the recent literature.