Review and Comparative Study of Hydrological Models for Rainfall-Runoff Modelling

Water is considered as an important resources for human existence on the earth. In order to simulate or optimized hydrological data for various water resources management, several hydrological models are very useful to attain this aim for water resources management and as a decision support tools. A rainfall-runoff model is a quantitative prototype explaining the rainfall-runoff interactions at basin scale. The hydrological models have peculiarities in terms of capabilities for various water resources management. This paper tends to reviewed over fifty (50) papers that are peculiar to hydrological models as applicable to rainfall-runoff modeling. It involved evaluating and comparing different hydrological models used in simulating rainfall process converting into surface runoff for water use efficiency. Several runoff models such as Hydrologic Engineering Center - Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS), Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS), Variable Infiltration Capacity model (VIC), LISt-based Erosion Model (LISEM), MIKE Surface Water - Groundwater Hydrology (MIKE SHE) and Runoff Prophet were critically assessed. Rainfall-runoff models are globally utilized for different applications to enhance water use efficiency across different sectors. However, types of hydrological models by examining various hydrological models, model accuracy by evaluating the accuracy and reliability of each model in predicting runoff from rainfall data, scope of applications by determining the adequacy of the models for numerous geographical regions and climatic circumstances, complexity and usability by assessing the complexity of the models, their data requirements, ease of use and computational efficiency, also the models advantages and limitations in capturing the dynamics of the rainfall-runoff process were critically assessed. This was to aid modeling objectives. It was inferred that HEC-HMS is widely applied for modelling precipitation-runoff processes in watersheds of various sizes, aiding in flood forecasting, reservoir operation, and water management for agricultural and urban water use efficiency. SWAT is used for assessing the impact of land management practices (e.g., crop rotation, irrigation, land use changes) on water resources, including runoff generation and water quality, thus optimizing water use efficiency in agriculture. PRMS is applied to model the transport of water via complex hydrological systems, aiding in watershed management and water use efficiency assessments. In conclusion, this comparative review seeks to guide water scientists, the users of hydrological models and hydrological engineers in selecting the most suitable models for their specific modelling needs for sustainable water resources management.