Int'l Journal of Research in Chemical, Metallurgical and Civil Engg. (IJRCMCE) Vol.

5, Issue 1 (2018) ISSN 2349-1442 EISSN 2349-1450

Analysis of Drainage Capacity by Using

Rational Method and Storm Water
Management Model
Mi Pale Kyi and Win Win Zin

 natural system of drainage[2]. Nowadays, as a consequence of

Abstract—Inadequate drainage capacity can cause flooding in urbanization and climate change, urban water managers have
urban area. Therefore, the drainage network and drainage capacity are to rethink the ways in which water is managed today, taking
considered as an important and indispensable infrastructure for the into account economic, environmental and social factors as
city. This paper focuses on analyzing the performance of the existing
drainage capacity by using Modified Rational Method and then to
well [3].The concept of storm water management is strongly
propose the appropriate drain size with effective drainage capacity related to urban areas where conveyance system exists.
for the study area. Due to inadequate size, lack of proper maintenance Despite flooding, storm water also is interesting regarding the
and tidal effect, the existing drains in most of the places are not urban water balance. The expansion of impervious land-cover
serving the purpose during rainy season. Therefore, new dimension implies both larger storm water runoff volumes and peak flows
of drain sections were proposed by using Manning’s equation. In and consequently reduces other components of the hydrologic
this study, HEC-HMS, hydrological model is used to evaluate the
design discharge for external catchments. To simulate the rainfall- cycle [4].
runoff process, SWMM was used for checking the proposed drain Yangon is geographically situated in a region that is
size capacity. Modified rational method considers for future influenced directly by the southwest monsoon. Severe floods
development effect and SWMM is applied for both current condition occur frequently in every monsoon season in some parts of
and future condition. Yangon City since storm water increases due to the rapid
growth of urbanization. It has annual rainfall of 2500 mm.
Keywords— Drainage network, external catchment, HEC-HMS However, rainfall intensity that mainly induces flooding
Model, Modified Rational Method, Storm Water Management
Model.
problem is considerably high. Maximum 24 hour rainfall
observed during the last 35 years was 343 mm, 13.54 inches in
I. INTRODUCTION 2007[5]. Urban storm drainage system in Yangon city consists
of about fifty open channels flowing out into six major rivers
Urban drainage systems are generally designed to drain out
and canals and fourteen drainage networks were constructed in
surface runoff from urban areas during storm events. However,
Central Business Downtown area [6].
storm water exceeding the drainage capacity can cause urban
flooding and result in traffic interruption, economic loss and
II. CHARACTERISTICS OF STUDY AREA
health issues. An increase in impervious land cover leads to
more surface runoff, faster runoff concentration and higher The study catchment is located in the south-western part of
peak flow rate. Thus there is an increasing need to improve Yangon City. Yangon city has a total area of 637 sq.
drainage capacity to reduce flooding in rapidly urbanizing kilometers and a population of over six million and is the most
areas. Conventionally, the improvement of drainage capacity important commercial center. The study area, Kyeemyindaing
relies on expanding and upgrading the existing storm drainage Township is located at the bank of Yangon River which has
system [1]. substantial flow from Ayeyarwaddy River. The area of
Proper drainage systems are needed in developed urban Kyeemyindaing Township is 5.6 km2 and residential area
areas because of the interaction between human activity and mainly consisting buildings, pavement and crowded
the natural water cycle. This interaction has two main forms: population. The study area receives the runoff from the largest
the abstraction of water from the natural cycle to provide a amount of Sanchaung Township. The main constraint of the
water supply for human life, and the covering of land with drainage system to cause flooding in study area is downstream
impermeable surface that divert rainwater away from the tide which can force periodically to close the outlet. This paper
was to analyze the existing drain capacity for four outfalls.
Yangon River and Hlaing River tidal curve were used for
Mi Pale Kyi, Department of Civil Engineering, Yangon Technological analyzing tidal condition. The drainage system will be
University, Myanmar
Dr. Win Win Zin (Professor), Department of Civil Engineering, Yangon
designed to have a capacity to drain the surface runoff from
Technological University, Myanmar, the design storm with 10-year, 50-year and 100-year

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 Int'l Journal of Research in Chemical, Metallurgical and Civil Engg. (IJRCMCE) Vol. 5, Issue 1 (2018) ISSN 2349-1442 EISSN 2349-1450

respectively. The following figure shows study map and process has led to further development of the rational method.
existing drain network. The modified rational method is recommended in the
Wallingford procedure (DoE/NWC 1981) and shown to be
Kyeemyaindaing township
township accurate for catchment sizes up to 150 ha. In this approach, the
runoff of rainfall is integrated from other routing effects, thus,
Sanchaung township the runoff coefficient C is considered to consist of two
components. This method was developed so that the concepts
of the rational method could be used to develop hydrographs
for storage design, rather than just flood peak discharges for
storm sewer design. Design flood for each structure is
estimated by using the following formula [7].

Q = 0.278 C Cs i A (1)

Where, Q = Design Flood in cubic meters per second

C = Runoff coefficient
Fig. 1 Study area map Cs = Storage coefficient
i = Average rainfall intensity in mm per hour
A = Area in Sq. kilometer
Runoff coefficient was adopted as 0.9 in this study for
future condition.
Sizing of culverts and drains are carried out using the well-
known hydraulic formula of Manning's equation.

Design discharge Q = A (2)

Where, n = Manning’s roughness

A = Area of proposed drain or culvert
R = Hydraulic radius of drain or culvert
S = Hydraulic gradient
By applying Manning's formula, the channel carrying
capacity was calculated by using the existing dimensions of the
drains which were obtained from Yangon City Development
Committee. The roughness coefficient "n" was taken as 0.014
for the normal concrete lining value [8].
Fig. 2 Existing drainage network of Kyeemyaindaing township
B. Time of concentration (tc)
III. METHODOLOGY The time of concentration, tc is defined as the time which
The methodology used in this study consists of the two main would be required for the surface runoff from the most remote
parts. The first one was used modified rational method to part of the catchment to reach the point considered as the sum
estimate design flood for all sub-catchments. HEC-HMS of overland flow time, t0, and the time of flow in the channel,
model was also used to estimate design flood for external td.
catchments. The existing drainage capacity was checked by For natural and landscaped catchments and mixed flow
using Manning’s equation. The alternative one was to consider paths, the time of concentration (tc) can be found by the use of
with storm water management model (SWMM) to check the Bransby-William's Equation [8].
capacity of proposed drain. In storm water management model,
dynamic wave routing and Green-Ampt approaches were
applied to analyze flow routing and infiltration processes. tc (min )= (3)
Tidal hydrographs of Yangon River and Hlaing River were
applied for this study. Where, Fc = conversion factor (58.5 if A is in sq.kilometers)
A. Modified Rational Method (92.5 if A is in hectares)
A = catchment area
This method was developed so that the concepts of the
L = stream length (m)
rational method could be used to develop hydrographs for
S = slope of stream flow path (m/km)
storage design, rather than just flood peak discharges for storm
sewer design. Increase understanding of the rainfall-runoff

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 Int'l Journal of Research in Chemical, Metallurgical and Civil Engg. (IJRCMCE) Vol. 5, Issue 1 (2018) ISSN 2349-1442 EISSN 2349-1450

C. Rainfall intensity-duration-frequency relationship

The total storm rainfall depth at a point, for a given rainfall
duration and Average Recurrence Interval, ARI, is a function
of local climate. Rainfall depths can be further processed and
converted into rainfall intensities (intensity =depth/duration),
which are then presented in IDF curves. Such curves are
particularly useful in storm water drainage design because
many computation procedures require rainfall input in the form
of average rainfall intensity. Rainfall intensities of different
return periods (ARI) for various durations at Yangon City
were developed. The Intensity-Duration-Frequency curve for
Yangon Project Area is shown in figure 1.3. .In this research,
the maximum daily rainfall of 1962 to 2016 was used for
Fig. 4 Consituted tidal curve for Yangon River (one complete spring
Kabar-Aye station.
tide cycle)

Fig. 5 Consituted tidal curve for Yangon River (one complete neap
tide cycle)

Fig. 3 Rainfall Intensity-Duration-Frequency curve for Yangon

D. Design Tidal Hydrograph
Tidal hydrograph for Yangon River and Hlaing River are
collected from Myanmar Port Authority and only maximum
and minimum water levels with corresponding times are
available. Typical constituted tidal hydrograph for spring and
neap tide for Yangon and Hlaing Rivers in month August are
shown in the following figures.

Fig. 6 Consituted tidal curve for Hlaing River (one complete spring
tide cycle)

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 Int'l Journal of Research in Chemical, Metallurgical and Civil Engg. (IJRCMCE) Vol. 5, Issue 1 (2018) ISSN 2349-1442 EISSN 2349-1450

traces flows and water quality through a storage control

device. The external block calculates hydraulic, flows by
steady flow, kinematic wave and dynamic wave tracing [10].
The routing portion of SWMM transports this runoff
through a system of pipes, channels, storage/treatment devices,
pumps, and regulators. SWMM tracks the quantity and quality
of runoff generated within each sub catchment, and the flow
rate, flow depth and quality of water in each pipe and channel
during a simulation period comprised of multiple time steps
[11].
In this research, the general options for SWMM are used
rainfall-runoff process model, dynamic wave routing model
and Green-Ampt infiltration model. Sub catchments are
divided into pervious and impervious areas. Surface runoff in
pervious and impervious is given by the Manning’s equation.
SWMM also allows to describing additional characteristics
Fig. 7 Consituted tidal curve for Hlaing River (one complete neap and processes within the study area. Flow routing in channels
tide cycle) and pipes is governed by the conservation of mass and
momentum equations for gradually varied and unsteady flow
E. .HEC-HMS Hydrological Model
(Saint Venant) equations. Time of concentration is one of the
Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS) was developed most important parameters effective in rainfall-runoff
by Hydrologic Engineering Center of the U.S Army Corps of simulation.
Engineers. It was designed to simulate the precipitation-runoff
processes of dendritic watershed systems. It is designed to be IV. RESULT AND DISCUSSION
applicable in a wide range of problems. This includes a large In this paper, first method was developed by the Modified
river basin water supply and flood hydrograph, small urban or Rational method to estimate design flood for 10year, 50year
natural watershed runoff. Hydrographs produced by the and 100 year respectively. The following table show the
program are use directly or in conjunction with other software summary result of simulated design flood for external
for studies of water availability, urban drainage, flow catchment from that flow to saline underground.
TABLE I
forecasting, future urbanization impact, reservoir spillway SUMMARY R ESULT OF SIMULATED DESIGN FLOOD FROM
design, flood damage reduction, flood plain regulation, and E XTERNAL C ATCHMENT
system operation. In HEC-HMS model, there are four main Design flood (cumecs) Design flood (cumecs)
components for hydrological modeling; loss method, transform Return period
for current condition for 90% impervious
method, base-flow method and routing method [9]. 10yr 11.2 12.3
In this study, HEC-HMS was used as hydrological model to 50yr 15.80 16.8
evaluate design discharges from external catchments. Initial 100yr 18.80 19.9
and constant losses and SCS unit hydrograph were selected for
loss and transform method respectively. Recession and lag The following figures show the simulated runoff hydrograph
methods were assigned for base-flow and routing method for 10yr return period for current condition.
respectively and applied for rainfall-runoff simulation in the
study area.
F. .Storm Water Management Model (SWMM)
The US EPA Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) is
chosen to evaluate the capacity of proposed drain capacity and
tidal effect in this study. SWMM is a dynamic rainfall-runoff
simulation model, developed by the United States
Environmental Protection Agency, which computes the
quantity and quality of urban runoff in storm water and
combined systems. The model is widely used for planning,
analysis and design related to drainage systems in urban areas.
SWMM consists of multiple functional computational blocks.
The runoff block calculates the surface runoff and water
quality constituents from rainfall. The transport block
calculates the flows and water quality of drainage system with
Fig. 8 Simulated runoff hydrograph of 10yr return period with 2 hour
no surcharge through dynamic. The storage treatment block rainfall (HEC-HMS)

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 Int'l Journal of Research in Chemical, Metallurgical and Civil Engg. (IJRCMCE) Vol. 5, Issue 1 (2018) ISSN 2349-1442 EISSN 2349-1450

show temporal rainfall pattern for rain gauge pattern I and rain
gauge pattern II.

TABLE II
TEMPORAL RAIN GAUGE PATTERN I

Time (H:M) Volume (mm)

00:05 14.52

00:10 22.69

00:15 8.17

TABLE III
TEMPORAL RAIN GAUGE PATTERN II

Time (H:M) Volume (mm)

Fig. 9 Simulated runoff hydrograph of 50yrs return period with 2
hour rainfall (HEC-HMS) 00:15 3.52

00:30 13.96

00:45 36.38

01:00 24.41

01:15 10.56

01:30 13.96

01:45 11.03

02:00 3.52

For sub catchment properties, n-Manning’s coefficient of

impervious and pervious area, and the percentage of
impervious areas were identified as influencing factors on
Fig. 10 simulated runoff hydrograph of 100yrs return period with 2 variations of peak flood.
hour rainfall (HEC-HMS) According to the results from the storm water management
model, it was found that there is no pressure pipeline flow for
The capacity checked for existing drains were evaluated by 10yrs return period. Therefore, proposed drain sizes are
Manning’s formula. It is observed that all existing drain sizes enough to carry design discharge for 10yrs return period. To
were not enough to carry the design flood of 10yr return overcome tidal effect condition, sluice gate should be installed
period. Therefore, proposed drain sizes were required for the for the outlet where the associated road levels are lower than
study area. The capacity of proposed drain sizes were also the spring tide levels. The following table shows summary
analyzed by using storm water management model (SWMM). result of total inflow from SWMM (90% impervious area and
In this study, sub catchments were divided into 113nos, current condition) and modified rational method for 10yr
223nos of nodes and 224nos of conduit links. return period. The following figure shows model description
Watershed time of concentration is one of the most for sub-catchments, nodes and conduits for four outfalls.
important parameters effective in rainfall-runoff simulation.
Rainfall duration time was assumed equal to watershed time of
concentration. In this paper, rain gauge I(15min rainfall) and
rain gauge II(2hrs rainfall) were applied. The temporal
distribution of rainfall within the design storm is an important
factor that affects the runoff volume and the magnitude and
timing of peak discharge. Design rainfall temporal patterns
were used to represent the typical variation of rainfall
intensities during a typical storm bust. The following tables

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 Int'l Journal of Research in Chemical, Metallurgical and Civil Engg. (IJRCMCE) Vol. 5, Issue 1 (2018) ISSN 2349-1442 EISSN 2349-1450

improved such as lining to increase carrying capacity. In

addition, sluice gate should be installed to prevent the tidal
flooding. The SWMM software was run considering the
proposed drain dimensions of the drainage network. From this
model simulated result, all proposed drain sections are
adequate for the study area. Therefore, the existing drainage
system for the study area should be upgraded as proposed.
However, the SWMM parameters need calibration for more
reliable results. For future study, all outfalls should be
developed by storm runoff model.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
First of all, the author would like to express my supervisor,
Dr. Win Win Zin, Professor of Civil Engineering Department,
Yangon Technological University, for the continuous support
to my research paper for her patience, close supervision and
immense knowledge. The author would like to express her
special thanks to U Tin Maung, Visiting Professor, for the
Fig. 10 Catchment visualization in SWMM constant support and guidance for carry out this work. The
According to the results from the storm water management author is deeply grateful to all the persons who kindly help to
model, it was found that there is no pressure pipeline flow for the completion of this study.
10yrs return period. Therefore, proposed drain sizes are
enough to carry design discharge for 10yrs return period. To REFERENCES
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Modified rational method was applied for existing drainage Environmental Protection Agency,2015
size capacity. Proposed drain sizes were checked by storm About Author :
water management model. This paper focused on the drainage [All drainage systems in my study area are not
capacity for the study area. In modified rational method, the arrange systematically. And then the study area is
located near Yangon River. Nowadays, due to climate
runoff coefficient was considered for future land use pattern. change, urbanization, unplanned urban pattern are
For SWMM software, two types of runoff coefficient were projected to lead to an increase flooding in urban area.
applied. From this study, it was noted that all the existing drain Therefore, proper drainage systems are needed to
prevent flooding in urban area.]
sections are not enough in most of the places to accommodate
the 10yr runoff. All channels in the study area should be

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