Hydrodynamic Modelling of The Hooghly Estuary, West Bengal Using the Coastal Modelling System (CMS)

The estuarine reach of the river Hooghly is well known for its complexity of flow and highly dynamic morphology. It has been under constant study due to the presence of the Kolkata and the Haldia Port in this reach. The maintenance of adequate draft in the navigation channels leading to these ports has been a difficult task. Mathematical modelling of the hydrodynamic and morphological conditions in the estuary is essential to solve these problems effectively. The complex nature of the estuary makes it quite challenging to accurately simulate the flow field. In this work a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model of the Hooghly estuary was prepared using CMS Flow. Necessary data for model development, calibration and validation were obtained from Kolkata Port Trust. The simulated tidal water elevations match with the field observations very well. Results of the simulations were analysed to study the velocity variations with the tidal cycle at various locations.