Climate Change and Fecal Peril

Fecal peril caused by intestinal parasites is commonly reported to be causing health problems in the world. Furthermore, global climate change is inevitable. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the health effects of climate change. Water shortage contribute to increase the pressure on regional water resources and force a greater number of people to use urban wastewater as an alternative for irrigation. Therefore, unsafe management and inappropriate wastewater use in urban agriculture is likely to be responsible of exacerbating the transmission of infectious diseases, including those caused by intestinal protozoa and helminths parasitic worms. It should be taken into account that waterborne diseases are influencedby climate change. The frequency and severity of intertwined extreme weather events driven by climate change are occurring worldwide and likely to cause epidemics of waterborne gastroenteritis. The association found between both rainfall, river flooding, and the majority of waterborne disease outbreaks was frequently proved to be preceded by climatic change events.

Strengthen resilience to rivers flooding by the drag reduction technique

Urban agglomerations face the risk of overflowing rivers due to intense urbanization in flood-prone areas and the climate change effects. Despite the important protective measures deployed to reduce the fluvial flooding risk, additional efforts are still needed. This work aims to propose a new complementary non-structural protection measure, used to reduce the river flooding risk. The study is part of the NABRAPOL (NEBRASKA POLYMER) project, which aims to improve knowledge of the drag reduction effect by adding polymers in open-channel flows. The addition of polymers, even in limited concentrations, allows high friction to decrease with the typical Manning coefficient reduced up to 45%. An application case on a real watercourse is presented in this article. Two measurement campaigns are carried out on a river along 30 km. Experimental devices are deployed, and non-intrusive hydraulic measuring instruments are installed at the study field. Surface velocities are evaluated by the Large-Scale Particle Image Velocimetry (LSPIV) technique, and water depth is measured using ultrasonic radar sensors over the river. Measurement results show that the addition of 20 ppm of polymers in the flows results in a marked drag reduction by decreasing the water depth to 18% of its initial depth. The drag reduction technique by addition of small concentrations of polymers can be considered as a new and effective method to reinforce the measures already deployed in the flood risk management strategy since it allows the water depth to be decreased thus avoid overflowing rivers in the extreme flooding event.

Method for Operating Drainage Pump Stations Considering Downstream Water Level and Reduction in Urban River Flooding

Korea experiences increasing annual torrential rains owing to climate change and river flooding. The government is expanding a new drainage pump station to minimize flood damage, but the river level has not been adjusted because of torrential rains. Therefore, the river level must be adjusted to operate the drainage pump station, and it can be adjusted through the reservoir of the drainage pump station. In this study, we developed a method for operating drainage pump stations to control the river level and verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. A stormwater management model (SWMM) was used to simulate the Suyeong River and Oncheon River in Busan, Korea. The rainfall data from 2011 to 2021 were investigated. The data were sorted into ten big floods that occurred in Busan. The model was calibrated with actual rainfall data. The water level of the Suyeong River and the Oncheon River was the highest in most simulations. The simulation results showed an average decrease of 3018.2 m3 in Suyeong River flooding, and the Oncheon River needed to be supplemented due to structural problems. As a result of the recombination by simply supplementing the structural problems of the Oncheon River, the average flooding of 194.5 m3 was reduced. The proposed method is economical and efficient for reducing urban stream flooding in areas susceptible to severe damage caused by climate change.

Nature-based Solutions in Latin America and the Caribbean: Regional Status and Priorities for Growth

Nature-based solutions (NBS) can contribute to equitable and sustainable development across Latin America and the Caribbean and represent an important investment opportunity for national and subnational governments, infrastructure service providers, development banks, and corporations. Examining the status of NBS efforts and results within the region can shed light on what is required to drive more investment towards NBS projects. To chart a pathway forward, this brief provides a regional review of NBS projects, their status, and implications for investment. These NBS projects aim to address a variety of objectives, including securing water supply, improving water quality, reducing landslide risk, and helping to manage urban flooding, river flooding, or coastal flooding and erosion. The projects utilize a broad range of types of NBS, from forest management to coral reef restoration. This brief outlines the difficulties to scaling NBS adoption in the region and identifies strategies to address the challenges moving forward.