Impact of flash flood on development potentials of Wadi Abu Ghusun, Eastern Desert, Egypt

Groundwater is a significant water supply source in arid and semi-arid areas. It plays an important role in the construction of new communities. As communities grow and land use becomes more intensified, there are greater demands on groundwater resources. Effective groundwater management requires a clear understanding of the quality, quantity and vulnerability of this valuable resource. The Wadi Abu Ghusun is considered one of the main basins in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. It attracts official attention from several sources, including the Ilmenite mining industry and the World Food Program (WFP) in the context of the development of Bedouin communities. Continuous development has led to extensive and increasing demand for potable water to match these activities. Therefore, the application of recent techniques in harvesting surface runoff plays a vital role in groundwater replenishment and avoids great damage to human activities, buildings and roads. To achieve these targets, a model of rainfall-runoff processes in an ungauged basin was applied. The rainfall-runoff model was used to calculate the direct runoff volume, peak discharge, and to construct a synthetic hydrograph for the Wadi Abu Ghusun. The flow rate (Qp) of the synthetic hydrograph at Wadi Abu Ghusun was 52.66 m^3/sec. and the time to peak (tp) was 5.58 hours, whereas the time base (tb) is 17.5 hours. The total discharge along the study basin was 1.88xl0^6 m^3. Based on topographic maps (1:100,000), twenty two morphometric parameters of Wadi Abu Ghusun were determined. The calculated morphometric parameters as well as the hydraulic parameters indicate reasonable groundwater potentialities. The Qantas systems methods of groundwater management were recommended.