IMPACTS OF VEGETATION ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FLOW: MANNING ROUGHNESS COEFFICIENTS FOR OPEN CHANNEL

The presence of vegetation in waterways plays an important role from ecological point of view as it can be used to improve water quality and reduce soil erosion by altering the flow magnitude. Vegetation roughness is an important parameter in describing flow through river systems. Vegetation impedes the flow, which affects the stage-discharge curve and may increase flood risks. To understand the impact of vegetation flow, an experimental approach using a field channel is adopted. The present study will consider natural vegetation in a rectangular flume located in Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS. Geometrical dimensions of the drainage system, vegetation properties and flow parameters such as flow depth, velocity and discharges will be measured for different inflow scenarios into the drainage system. Subsequently, several flow scenarios will be allowed to pass through the vegetation array emerging from the water surface and when fully submerged.