A Comparative Study of Snyder and Clark Hydrological Procedures for Flood Peaks Estimation

Ebrahim Al-Qadami; Mohd Adib Mohammad  Razi; Syed Muzzamil Hussain  Shah; Mohamad Fahmi  Ideris; Arman  Mokhtar; Jaan H.  Pu

doi:10.5614/j.eng.technol.sci.2026.58.5.2

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Ebrahim Al-Qadami Faculty of Civil Engineering & Built Environment, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Johor, , Malaysia
Mohd Adib Mohammad Razi
adib@uthm.edu.my
Faculty of Civil Engineering & Built Environment, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Johor, , Malaysia
Syed Muzzamil Hussain Shah Department of Civil Engineering, Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi-75300, Pakistan
Mohamad Fahmi Ideris Department of Irrigation and Drainage Malaysia, Coastal Division, 63000 Cyberjaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Arman Mokhtar Department of Irrigation and Drainage Malaysia, Coastal Division, 63000 Cyberjaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Jaan H. Pu Faculty of Engineering and Informatics, University of Bradford, Bradford, DB7 1DP, , Malaysia

Vol. 58 No. 5 (2026): Vol. 58 No. 5(2026): October (In Progress)

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Accepted June 10, 2026

Published August 11, 2026

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The Snyder (HP11) and Clark (HP27) hydrological procedures are valuable tools in managing water resources in urban and rural areas across Malaysia. This study presents an extensive comparative assessment of these two procedures in estimating different watersheds flood peak flows. A total of 22 watersheds on Langkawi Island were simulated, representing a range of catchment types and characteristics, with catchment areas ranging from 1 to 68.2 km², and slopes between 1.54% to 24.77%, encompassing small to moderately large basins with gentle to steep terrain. For HP11 analysis, a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet was developed and used to perform the analysis based on triangular distribution of direct runoff following Snyder’s method. On the other hand, HEC-HMS software was used to perform hydrological analysis based on HP27 guidelines for both current and future land-use scenarios following Clark Unit Hydrograph Method. Obtained results were analyzed statistically using SPSS covering several parameters and tests. The results showed that the estimated design peak flows using HP11 procedure were higher compared with those estimated using HP27 for same land-use condition especially at higher ARIs. The percentage difference reached more than 70% depends on catchment characteristics. The estimated design peak discharge flows for future land use distribution were increased as expected due to the increment in the imperviousness of the catchment area, which contributes to higher peak discharge values as the critical storm duration shifts to a shorter period. Overall, the study demonstrates that the choice of hydrological procedure has a significant impact on flood estimation and should be carefully considered in future planning and design.

Al-Qadami, E., Razi, M. A. M. ., Shah, S. M. H. ., Ideris, M. F. ., Mokhtar, A. ., & Pu, J. H. . (2026). A Comparative Study of Snyder and Clark Hydrological Procedures for Flood Peaks Estimation. Journal of Engineering and Technological Sciences, 58(5), 630–640. https://doi.org/10.5614/j.eng.technol.sci.2026.58.5.2

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