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Natural Flood Management as an Adaptive Pathway to Climate-Resilient Communities

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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Hydrology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 December 2022) | Viewed by 37488

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Prof. Dr. David Proverbs

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Professor David Proverbs BSc (Hons), PG Cert-Ed, PhD, MBA, PFHEA, FCIOB, FRICS Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor—Enterprise and Business Innovation De Montfort University, Leicester, UK
Interests: flood risk management; resilience; adaptation; recovery; response
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Bingunath Ingirige

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Urban Resilience and Adaptation, Centre for Disaster Resilience, School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Manchester M5 4WT, UK
Interests: community resilience; adapting SMEs acommunity resilience; adapting SMEs against flooding; preparedness measures to improve urban resilience and adaptation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nature-based solutions to managing flooding have become an increasingly attractive approach towards creating climate-resilient communities and places. These solutions, which encompass natural flood management (NFM) interventions, attempt to work with natural hydrological processes to retain and slow water within the upper river catchment, while creating wider benefits such as habitat creation and sediment capture. These approaches work well as a catchment-based approach and incorporate woodland planting, agricultural practices, storage ponds, sustainable urban drainage systems and coastal managed realignment. NFM often involves lower costs when compared to structural and engineered approaches, whilst delivering wider ecosystem benefits. Despite these additional benefits, there has been relatively limited uptake of these approaches due to a variety of barriers, including a lack of scientific evidence, concerns with maintenance and monitoring, and a lack of appreciation of the costs and benefits involved. The need to work in partnership with various stakeholders including local authorities, government agencies, landowners and businesses has also created challenges. This Special Issue seeks to consider how NFM can support the development of more climate-resilient communities through creating adaptive pathways that help to better plan for future flooding. This calls for contributions from different disciplines together with multi and interdisciplinary research towards offering new insights and innovative solutions. The Special Issue welcomes contributions from international experts and case studies towards mainstreaming these approaches and providing important learning opportunities.

Prof. Dr. David Proverbs
Prof. Dr. Bingunath Ingirige
Guest Editors

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Keywords

nature-based solutions
community engagement and action
hydrological modelling
natural ecosystems
catchment-based approaches
retrofit and adaptive approaches
blue-green infrastructure
stakeholder management and partnership
policy, governance and strategy
urban, rural and coastal flooding

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 3159 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mathematical and Numerical Modeling of Repeated Floods from the Siret Basin, Romania, a Risk for Population, Environment, and Agriculture

by Victorita Radulescu

Water 2023, 15(6), 1103; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15061103 - 13 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1422

Abstract

In recent decades in Romania, no flood management plan has been implemented in natural riverbeds, although there are known areas that face repeated floods such as the Siret River basin. Practically every year, floods produce uncontrolled erosions and landslides in certain areas, followed by the deposition of sediments, usually on agricultural land, compromising crops indefinitely. This paper analyzes the natural transport capacity of the Siret River based on direct measurements and data recorded during the floods of 2005 and 2020. The mathematical model of the sediment transport is presented, starting with the upstream zone, from the confluence with its main tributaries: Bistrita, Trotus, and Cracau. The recorded flood hydrographs are used in this analysis to model the sediment transport for variable flow rates. The upstream flood hydrograph, the steady downstream level, and the initial riverbed cross-sections represent the boundary conditions. The mathematical model is numerically tested for the risk zones by determining the modifications of the riverbed cross-sections. The variation in time of the liquid and solid phases allows the estimation of the longitudinal riverbed shape with the floodable surfaces. To mitigate the effects of floods—and to protect the population, agricultural lands, and environment—some solutions are finally proposed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Flood Management as an Adaptive Pathway to Climate-Resilient Communities)

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26 pages, 12558 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Floods and Adaptation to Climate Change in Tourist Areas: Management Experiences on the Coast of the Province of Alicante (Spain)

by Esther Sánchez-Almodóvar, Jorge Olcina-Cantos, Javier Martí-Talavera, Antonio Prieto-Cerdán and Ascensión Padilla-Blanco

Water 2023, 15(4), 807; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15040807 - 19 Feb 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3232

Abstract

One of the principal challenges for cities on the Mediterranean coast is the management of urban runoff after episodes of intense rainfall. This problem is aggravated by the effects of climate change, with the increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather phenomena in this region. In light of this situation, the local governments, in collaboration with the concessionaire companies providing supply and sewage services, are committed to adopting measures aimed at a more efficient management of non-conventional water resources. Examples of good practice for reducing urban flood risk and adapting to climate change are those actions developed in the tourist municipalities of Alicante, Torrevieja, and Benidorm, where measures have been implemented or have been planned and integrated with green spaces, with a commitment to sustainability, such as sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) or Nature-Based Solutions (NBSs). This study analyses these case studies, based on a detailed review of the technical projects that contemplate each of the actions. Furthermore, several field trips were made with technical personnel who are familiar with the measures adopted. The results show that the implementation of these systems contributes to advancing the reduction of urban flood risk and the adaptation to climate change, creating more resilient and safer urban spaces for the citizens residing in them. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Flood Management as an Adaptive Pathway to Climate-Resilient Communities)

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20 pages, 8485 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effectiveness of Nature-Based Solutions for Mitigating the Impact of Pluvial Flooding in Urban Areas at the Regional Scale

by Eike M. Hamers, Holger R. Maier, Aaron C. Zecchin and Hedwig van Delden

Water 2023, 15(4), 642; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15040642 - 6 Feb 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3067

Abstract

Pluvial flooding causes significant damage in urban areas worldwide. The most common approaches to mitigating these impacts at regional scales include structural measures such as dams, levees and floodways. More recently, the use of nature-based solutions (NBS) is receiving increasing attention, as such approaches are more adaptive than structural measures and have a number of potential co-benefits (e.g., improvements in water quality and amenity). As NBSs are generally applied at house or block scales in urban areas, their potential for reducing the impacts of urban flooding at the regional scale are unknown. We introduce an approach that enables the potential of using portfolios of NBSs to reduce the impact of urban flooding to be assessed at the regional scale. This approach enables the most suitable locations for such portfolios of NBSs to be identified, as well as their effectiveness to be modeled at spatial resolutions that are commonly used for regional planning studies. The approach is applied to a case study area to the north of Adelaide, South Australia, with results obtained suggesting that there is significant potential for using strategically placed portfolios of NBSs to reduce the impact of pluvial flooding in urban areas at the regional scale. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Flood Management as an Adaptive Pathway to Climate-Resilient Communities)

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18 pages, 25256 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Floodplain Forest Restoration as a Nature-Based Solution to Create Climate-Resilient Communities in European Lowland Estuaries

by Heike Markus-Michalczyk and Matthias Michalczyk

Water 2023, 15(3), 440; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15030440 - 22 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2489

Abstract

Anthropogenic impact has largely altered the estuarine environment. Today, Nature-based solutions (NbS) are required to respond to challenges such as flooding that affect both the human population and estuarine ecosystems. Estuarine ecosystems such as saltmarshes and floodplain forests provide valuable services, and wetland restoration for flood control is suggested. Recently, flow velocities attenuating the effects of juvenile floodplain willows and wave attenuation through White willow trees under extreme conditions have been found. Services in flood control seemed promising. However, large woods do not bend and may cause turbulence. On the contrary, complex and flexible woody vegetation bends in response to currents and reduces velocities, thereby inducing lower turbulence, but knowledge of the diversity and structure of tidal willow floodplain forests (TWFF) is lacking. Thus, first, an observational study on the occurrence of TWFF in European estuaries along the North Sea was carried out. Based on findings in aerial images, only small TWFF fragments were confirmed in the field for the Elbe, Ems, Dutch delta, and the Scheldt estuary. Based on these findings and the analyses of management plans, the restoration of TWFF was planned, implemented, and studied, including a long-term study at the Elbe estuary upstream stretch. The results of the restoration efforts are provided, including the long-term study (2012–2022) on a restored TWFF in the Elbe estuary, which could serve as a pilot for TWFF restoration and adapting estuarine communities to climate change via NbS. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Flood Management as an Adaptive Pathway to Climate-Resilient Communities)

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24 pages, 1947 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Flood Modeling in a Coastal Town in Northern Colombia: Comparing MODCEL vs. IBER

by Jhonny I. Pérez-Montiel, Leyner Cardenas-Mercado and Andrea Gianni Cristoforo Nardini

Water 2022, 14(23), 3866; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14233866 - 27 Nov 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2021

Abstract

In Riohacha the La Niña, phenomenon generates intense rains with consequent serious flooding. To address this reality, MODCEL, a conceptual cell-based model, had been applied and calibrated in a previous project. In this research, we compare MODCEL with IBER, a well-known, physically based 2D hydraulic model. The purpose is twofold: (i) to illustrate how system schematization can be carried out in the two modeling frameworks, which is not a trivial task and implies several choices and assumptions; (ii) to point out the strengths and weaknesses of these two models in a comparative fashion. Here, IBER has been calibrated and validated with the same data used for MODCEL. MODCEL performs slightly better, both in calibration and validation possibly because of the low resolution of the topographic information, an essential element for IBER. Furthermore, in IBER it is not possible to represent adequately all the different hydraulic works spread across the town. MODCEL, in turn, is not easy to apply because it requires a deep insight into the actual behavior of the physical system and time-consuming schematization attempts where a deep experience is needed; furthermore, it is by far less user-friendly than IBER. In any case, the two models capture sufficiently well the behavior of urban flooding and its changes according to hypothetical interventions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Flood Management as an Adaptive Pathway to Climate-Resilient Communities)

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16 pages, 4195 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

The Role of Runoff Attenuation Features (RAFs) in Natural Flood Management

by Paul Francis Quinn, Caspar J. M. Hewett, Mark E. Wilkinson and Russell Adams

Water 2022, 14(23), 3807; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14233807 - 23 Nov 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3275

Abstract

Natural Flood Management (NFM) and catchment-based solutions for flood risk management and environmental problems are wide-ranging and complex. Management of fluvial flood risk in the UK is undergoing a fundamental shift, with a change in emphasis from solely working with structural defences to considering catchment-based measures which attenuate flood runoff. At the heart of this change are NFM and nature-based solutions. One key type of intervention is the Runoff Attenuation Feature (RAF): a class of features that targets runoff flow pathways and creates new temporary flow storage (such as ponds and leaky barriers). However, there is currently a lack of evidence for the effectiveness of NFM and RAFs at larger catchment scales and for managing extreme flood events. Nevertheless, there is a strong evidence base to suggest that well-designed RAFs deliver a range of ecosystem services if installed in the correct location. This paper reviews and critiques the role of RAFs and NFM as an interventionist and holistic approach to lowering runoff rates. The link between RAF design types and their relationship to land use and scale is made. Recent novel innovations and attempts to scale up RAFs are discussed. The role of antecedent conditions, groundwater and the change in residence time of processes is highlighted. The uncertainty and complexity of proving NFM effectiveness underpin a view that new thinking in catchment flood management is needed. New research is required, and many questions are raised about RAFs and NFM. The direction of travel is that a positive and proactive NFM community can now embrace the problem. Proof that RAFs and NFM can address flood management is not likely to be resolved without a great deal of further research but confidence that RAFs do beneficial work is growing and an argument for greater amounts of runoff attenuation is made. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Flood Management as an Adaptive Pathway to Climate-Resilient Communities)

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27 pages, 13904 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

From Sponge Cities to Sponge Watersheds: Enhancing Flood Resilience in the Sishui River Basin in Zhengzhou, China

by Xiao Peng, Xianpei Heng, Qing Li, Jianxia Li and Kongjian Yu

Water 2022, 14(19), 3084; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14193084 - 1 Oct 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3922

Abstract

Increasing extreme rainfall and increasingly severe flood disasters worldwide make it essential to enhance flood resilience research and practice. The Sponge City Approach (SCA) has been proposed as a nature-based solution for solving pressing water problems in cities, but there is an urgent need to apply the approach at the broader catchment scale to address the rising challenges driven by climate change. This study established a Sponge Watershed Approach (SWA) using the “Source-Flow-Sink” framework and applied it in the Sishui River Basin in Zhengzhou, China, to reconstruct a town after a heavy rainfall disaster and enhance its resilience to future floods. An integrated modeling approach utilizing hydrologic, hydraulic, and flood-loss curve models was used to analyze and evaluate the flood-reduction effects of different strategies under multiple scenarios. The results show that: (1) a strategy focusing solely on interventions at the source of runoff cannot adequately cope with extreme rainfall, and a whole-system approach to managing floods is necessary instead; (2) the effectiveness of the flow strategy depends on the intervention magnitude and the location where interventions are made; (3) the sink strategy offers the most effective way (approximately 30% decrease in flood loss) to adapt to extreme rainfall; (4) the risk and impact of flood disaster in the town was significantly reduced with the SWA (approximately 35–50% decrease in flood loss) compared to those without any interventions; (5) the effects of these strategies are interactive, and the optimal strategy depends on the rainfall condition. These results demonstrate the practicability of SWA by integrating the source, flow, and sink strategy at the whole-catchment scale, which will help promote natural flood management and enhance the climate resilience of catchments worldwide. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Flood Management as an Adaptive Pathway to Climate-Resilient Communities)

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21 pages, 5964 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Understanding Flood Vulnerability in Local Communities of Kogi State, Nigeria, Using an Index-Based Approach

by Peter Oyedele, Edinam Kola, Felix Olorunfemi and Yvonne Walz

Water 2022, 14(17), 2746; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14172746 - 2 Sep 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5741

Abstract

In West Africa, the impacts of flooding are becoming more severe with climate warming. Flood-prone communities in Kogi State in north-central Nigeria are affected by annual flooding and some extreme flood events. The negative impacts remain a major obstacle to development, environmental sustainability, and human security, exacerbating poverty in the region. Reducing and managing the impacts of flooding are increasingly becoming a challenge for individual households. Analysing vulnerability to flooding (a function of exposure, susceptibility, and lack of resilience) and identifying its causes using an index-based approach to achieve sustainable flood risk management were the focus of this study. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect relevant data from 400 households in 20 purposively selected communities. Based on expert opinions and an extensive literature review, 16 sets of relevant indicators were developed. These indicators were normalised and aggregated to compute the flood vulnerability index (FVI) for each community. This was then used to compare, classify, and rank communities in terms of their vulnerability to flooding. The results of the study showed that the selected communities were at varying levels of the risk of flooding. Four of the communities including the Onyedega, Ogba Ojubo, Odogwu, and Ichala Edeke communities were found to have very high vulnerability to flooding compared to others. Several factors such as poor building structures, lack of evacuation and flood management measures, over-dependence of households on agriculture, lack of diversification of economic activities, and weak household economic capacity were identified as causes. These findings are useful for developing flood risk reduction and adaptation strategies, such as ecosystem-based approaches, to reduce current and future vulnerability to flooding in Nigeria and other developing countries with similar conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Flood Management as an Adaptive Pathway to Climate-Resilient Communities)

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15 pages, 1259 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Retrofitting Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS): A Cost-Benefit Analysis Appraisal

by Oluwayemi Oladunjoye, David Proverbs and Hong Xiao

Water 2022, 14(16), 2521; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14162521 - 16 Aug 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4063

Abstract

Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) are known to help mitigate flooding whilst simultaneously delivering other positive outcomes, such as the provision of environmental, economic, educational, and business benefits. Despite this, there has been a relatively low uptake of SuDS in new developments and even less of an uptake in the opportunities for retrofitting SuDS in existing buildings. A major barrier to uptake has been a lack of understanding regarding the value of the benefits provided by SuDS. This study presents an appraisal of the costs and benefits derived from the retrofitting of SuDS in existing buildings and reveals some of the key decision-making considerations during the design and installation of such schemes. A qualitative research approach that included a number of case studies of successfully retrofitted SuDS schemes within public buildings was conducted. A novel feature of the research was the use of the Willingness to Pay (WTP) approach to value the tangible and intangible benefits provided by the various schemes from the perspectives of the property owners. The findings revealed that the retrofit provided a net value to the client of over £100,000 over 10 years, a mean CBA ratio of 5.3/10, and a return on investment (ROI) that would be achieved in less than 3 years. The importance of stakeholder engagement during the decision-making process was highlighted in helping to overcome many of the design, installation, and maintenance challenges. The findings demonstrate a significant ROI for these SuDs retrofit schemes and highlight useful approaches to overcoming the barriers in valuing the importance of the intangible benefits. In supporting the uptake of the retrofitting of SuDS, it is recommended that these benefits are given full consideration by property owners, urban planners, and architects during the design of retrofit schemes and throughout the decision-making stage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Flood Management as an Adaptive Pathway to Climate-Resilient Communities)

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19 pages, 1994 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gender Perspective of Flood Early Warning Systems: People-Centered Approach

by Ashfaq Ahmad Shah, Ayat Ullah, Nasir Abbas Khan, Indrajit Pal, Bader Alhafi Alotaibi and Abou Traore

Water 2022, 14(14), 2261; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14142261 - 20 Jul 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4070

Abstract

Natural hazards early warning systems (EWS) are built on a solid technical and scientific foundation. However, a significant focus must be on those at risk and a systems approach that considers all the key risk factors. A people-centered flood EWS has proved to be more successful at conveying risk messages and protecting lives during times of crisis. The present study intends to analyze the gender perspective of flood early warning systems in Pakistan by using four components of a people-centered approach. The data acquired from the different sources in this study (including institutional key informant interviews = 30 and community focus groups = 32) is analyzed using a paradigm of gender analysis. The findings regarding gender analysis revealed that there was a lack of participation from women in the risk assessment process, and the institutions did not pay enough attention to the conventional knowledge and views of women and men. In most cases, women were not given hazard alerts since they only receive information about possible risks from men. Women were still reluctant to participate in the planning process for disaster response and capacity building because of societal norms and impediments. In addition, the study revealed that the EWS did not satisfy most of the requirements specified in a people-centered gender-sensitive EWS owing to the bureaucratic approach, lack of residents’ engagement, communication breakdown between people (at risk), and official risk messages. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Flood Management as an Adaptive Pathway to Climate-Resilient Communities)

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20 pages, 3278 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Water Resilience Evaluation Model for Urban Cities

by Wenping Xu, Yuli Kong, David Proverbs, Yuwan Zhang, Yuan Zhang and Jitao Xu

Water 2022, 14(12), 1942; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14121942 - 16 Jun 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2507

Abstract

Cities around the world are having to become more resilient to the effects of climate change and ongoing development pressures and consequently are seeking to improve urban water resource management. In order to analyze the key factors affecting a city’s water resilience, this research establishes an urban water resilience evaluation model. The DEMATEL method is used to calculate the intensity of the interaction among the water resilience indicators and to establish their causal relationships. Then, an ANP structured diagram is established and the weighting of the water resilience evaluation index for the city of Wuhan is obtained using the Super Decisions software. The key water resilience factors for Wuhan are shown to have significant mutual influences, with the main factors found to be the utilization of rainwater resources, the utilization of reclaimed water, and the total annual runoff control of the city. This method provides a sound basis for the evaluation of urban water resilience with scope to extend this to other cities. The results provide useful guidance for policy makers and other key stakeholders in supporting more sustainable urban development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Flood Management as an Adaptive Pathway to Climate-Resilient Communities)

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