The fifth evaluation report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of the United Nations mentions that extreme rainfall might increase its intensity and frequency in most mid-latitude locations and tropical regions by the end of this century, as a consequence of the rise of the average global surface temperature. Human actions provoked global warming which manifests with an increase in extreme rainfall. These climatic conditions together with the urban development generated a scenario of growing concern for the managers of drainage systems. The objective of drainage networks is preventing the accumulation of rainwater on the surface. Under the new conditions of climate change, the urban drainage systems need to be adapted.

The following article describes a method for flood control by using a rehabilitation model. The method uses a genetic algorithm that iteratively calls the SWMM 5 hydraulic model to perform a hydraulic analysis to search solutions. The results consist of a Pareto front relating investment versus damage. The stakeholders might use this information to adopt the best solution.

This method includes a hydraulic control strategy by using a local head loss in the drainage network, allowing the upstream flow to be retained by decreasing the downstream concentration time. This head loss represents a control device in the beginning of some pipes that come out of storm tanks. As a case study, the method was applied in a section of the drainage network of the city of Bogotá.