Analysis of the Sensitivity of the Main Sewage Pipe in Karbala City Center to Heavy Rainfall Events

Ghulam, Ali N; Nile, Basim Khalil; Al-Baidhani, Jabbar Hamood

doi:10.63463/kjes.1202

	Analysis of the Sensitivity of the Main Sewage Pipe in Karbala City Center to Heavy Rainfall Events
Kerbala Journal for Engineering Sciences (KJES)
Article 4, Volume 5, Issue 4, December 2025, Pages 176-203 PDF (3.16 M)
Document Type: Research Article
DOI: 10.63463/kjes.1202
Authors
Ali N Ghulam^* ¹; Basim Khalil Nile¹; Jabbar Hamood Al-Baidhani²
¹Department of Civil Engineering, Collage of Engineering, University of Kerbala, Kerbala, Iraq,
²Department of Civil Engineering, Collage of Engineering, Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad, Iraq
Abstract
The sewerage network is one of the main pillars of urban infrastructure. However, it faces increasing challenges due to the aging of its components, the rapid pace of urbanization, climate change, and high consumption rates. Rainwater runoff and seepage (RDII) are among the most significant problems negatively impacting the efficiency of these networks, contributing significantly to sewage overflows and their consequent serious environmental and health impacts. The current research focused on analyzing the sensitivity of the main sewerage pipeline in the center of Karbala, Iraq. This city of global religious and tourist importance receives millions of pilgrims annually in a short period of time, placing high pressure on the sewerage network. To achieve this, recorded discharge and rainfall data were analyzed using Sanitary Sewer Overflow Analysis and Planning (SSOAP), along with a comprehensive flow simulation using the Personal Computer Storm Water Management Model (PCSWMM) to evaluate the hydraulic performance of the pipeline under heavy rain conditions and identify potential areas of vulnerability. The analysis results showed that rainfall intensities ranging from 20 mm/h to 24 mm/h represent the upper limit of a pipe's capacity where the 25 mm/h rainfall signifies the failure threshold for the existing pipeline.
Keywords
Sewer; Rain; Infiltration; Inflow; Capacity

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