A physical-based semi-distributed continuous hydrological modelling for Brahmani River Basin, Eastern India

This paper describes a case study of continuous hydrologic modeling in the Brahmani River basin in India using the Hydrologic Engineering Center-Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS). The soil moisture algorithm (SMA) was employed as loss method for continuous simulations in the thirteen sub-basins. The sensitivity analysis showed that soil storage, tension storage and soil percolation are most sensitive parameters. The model performance was assessed for calibration period of 15 years (1990-2004) and validation period of 12 years (2005-2016), using statistical and visual evaluation techniques. During the calibration period, the observed and simulated values showed a good fit, with R2 ranging from 0.67 to 0.74, NSE from 0.66 to 0.72, and PBIAS from -8.5 to -9.5%. Similar performances are obtained during the validation period, with R2 ranging from 0.62 to 0.70, NSE from 0.60 to 0.68, and PBIAS from -2.5 to 21.4%. The results of the SMA procedure employed in the HEC-HMS model give valuable information for flood control and water supply management in the Brahmani Basin and similar other regions in Eastern India.