Appraising sustainable flood risk management in the Pearl River Delta's coastal megacities: a case study of Hong Kong, China

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 390-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. K. S. Chan ◽  
O. A. Adekola ◽  
G. Mitchell ◽  
A. T. McDonald
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Storm Surges ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
Pearl River ◽  
The Pearl River

The Pearl River Delta (PRD) region has experienced rapid economic and population growth in the last three decades. The delta includes coastal megacities, such as Hong Kong. These low-lying urbanised coastal regions in the PRD are vulnerable to flood risks from unpredictable climatic conditions. These can result in increasing storm surges, rising sea level and intensified rainstorms causing coastal and inland flooding, all of which impact the delta. This paper has taken the coastal megacity of Hong Kong as a case, focusing on two study sites: Shenzhen River and Tai O town, chosen for their peculiar inland and coastal flood problems. A sustainable flood risk appraisal (SFRA) template was developed against which sustainable flood risk management (FRM) practices in these sites were benchmarked. Thirty-eight stakeholders were interviewed during this research in order to understand the current FRM practices, their barriers and their constraints. It was found that FRM in the case study currently focuses on hard engineering, while neglecting other important sustainability indicators. A SFRA practice that takes public participation, equity of flood preparedness and environmental friendly into account could be effective in achieving sustainable flood risk mitigation practices in Hong Kong and other coastal cities in the PRD.

scholarly journals Flood risk appraisal and management in mega-cities: a case study of practice in the Pearl River Delta, China

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
F. K. S. Chan ◽  
G. Mitchell ◽  
A. T. McDonald
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Pearl River Delta ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
Pearl River ◽  
Risk Appraisal ◽  
The Pearl River Delta ◽  
The Pearl River

In recent decades, the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region has experienced strong economic and population growth. By 2050 120 million people are expected to live in the region, which currently has eleven major cities, and the emerging mega-city formed by Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. The populous coastal cities and low lying flood plains in the PRD experience flood risk via: (i) intense precipitation from storms, (ii) inland pluvial flooding, (iii) storm surges. Climate change, including global sea level rise forecasts of more than 1 m by 2100, mean that flood risk is expected to increase in future. Sustainable flood risk management (SFRM) must be adopted to mitigate these risks. Strategies such as the UK's ‘making space for water’ programme seek to tackle flood risk through planning, but such a strategic approach is not evident in the PRD. Recent coastal land reclamation projects in the PRD illustrate the conflict between urban growth pressure and flood risk, and that more comprehensive, or sustainable, flood risk management is not currently practiced. This paper examines flood risk management practice in the PRD. It starts with a theoretical sustainable flood risk appraisal (SFRA) template developed from literature and global best practice, against which PRD practice is benchmarked. The paper discusses a case study in Hong Kong and Shenzhen where in-depth discussions with more than 30 stakeholders were held to understand barriers and constraints to realising SFRM. This research seeks to further the practice of SFRM in the PRD, and comparable urbanising mega-deltas in the region.

scholarly journals Characterising Local Knowledge across the Flood Risk Management Cycle: A Case Study of Southern Malawi

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Šakić Trogrlić ◽  
Grant Wright ◽  
Melanie Duncan ◽  
Marc van den Homberg ◽  
Adebayo Adeloye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Local Knowledge ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Underlying Causes ◽  
Complex Knowledge

People possess a creative set of strategies based on their local knowledge (LK) that allow them to stay in flood-prone areas. Stakeholders involved with local level flood risk management (FRM) often overlook and underutilise this LK. There is thus an increasing need for its identification, documentation and assessment. Based on qualitative research, this paper critically explores the notion of LK in Malawi. Data was collected through 15 focus group discussions, 36 interviews and field observation, and analysed using thematic analysis. Findings indicate that local communities have a complex knowledge system that cuts across different stages of the FRM cycle and forms a component of community resilience. LK is not homogenous within a community, and is highly dependent on the social and political contexts. Access to LK is not equally available to everyone, conditioned by the access to resources and underlying causes of vulnerability that are outside communities’ influence. There are also limits to LK; it is impacted by exogenous processes (e.g., environmental degradation, climate change) that are changing the nature of flooding at local levels, rendering LK, which is based on historical observations, less relevant. It is dynamic and informally triangulated with scientific knowledge brought about by development partners. This paper offers valuable insights for FRM stakeholders as to how to consider LK in their approaches.

scholarly journals DEVELOPMENT OF A FLOOD RISK ASSESSMENT MODEL FOR A BRAIDED RIVER SYSTEM

2017 ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Mustafa Kemal Cambazoglu ◽  
Cheryl Ann Blain
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Channel Model ◽  
River System ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
High Flow ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Pearl River ◽  
Braided River ◽  
River Channels

The aim of this study is to construct a modeling system that will assist flood risk management strategies in a coastal plain braided river system. The model configuration consists of a hydrodynamic model (ADCIRC) of the river basin that receives tidal forcing at the open boundary and river discharge forcing at upstream flux boundary. An unstructured mesh model resolving the Pearl River channels at higher resolution from the coastline to approximately 75km inland to upstream reaches of the river has been constructed. The modeling system produces water levels and currents throughout the Lower Pearl River Basin. Initial sensitivity analysis efforts on the channel model include consideration of low-flow, average-flow, and high-flow scenarios. Model results were found to be slightly sensitive to slope of river channels and bottom friction to control stability in predictions. The model results were shown to be highly sensitive to the bathymetry of the model that controls the discharge capacity of the narrow river channels and the channel model resulted in elevated currents and water levels under high flow conditions. A channel discharge capacity analysis was conducted and the results showed the need to construct a floodplain mesh around the channel model with more realistic bathymetry and topography so that the flooding scenarios could be modeled with wetting and drying capability of ADCIRC. An initial attempt to develop such a floodplain mesh has been made with preliminary results and more comprehensive validation of the developed floodplain modeling system will extend to reproducing events associated with the historical Hurricane Isaac that impacted the region in 2012. This modeling system will provide an important tool to decision makers that could be used in future flood risk management and mitigation efforts.

scholarly journals 1D / 2D stormwater modelling to support urban flood risk management in estuarine areas: Hazard assessment in the Dafundo case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Adriana Cardoso ◽  
Maria Céu Almeida ◽  
Rita S. Brito ◽  
João L. Gomes ◽  
Paula Beceiro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Hazard Assessment ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
Urban Flood ◽  
Urban Flood Risk

scholarly journals Structuring Climate Adaptation through Multiple Perspectives: Framework and Case Study on Flood Risk Management

Water ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohanasundar Radhakrishnan ◽  
Assela Pathirana ◽  
Richard Ashley ◽  
Chris Zevenbergen
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
Multiple Perspectives
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