17th EUROPEAN SEMINAR ON GEOGRAPHY OF WATER Working group: Flooding and flood water mitigation EVENT RESPONSE RECOVERY MITIGATION/ PLANNING WARNING Hazard

17th EUROPEAN SEMINAR ON GEOGRAPHY OF WATER Working group: Flooding and flood water mitigation

EVENT

RESPONSE

RECOVERY

MITIGATION/ PLANNING

WARNING

Hazard Cycle for floods in the Polesine Area

Panka Babukova, Elisabeth Magyar, Kristyna Falatkova, Katerina Marouskova, Teresa Heidemann, Valentin Kostatin, Morten Jõgi, Thomas Büche, Stefan Weinberger, Jose Luis Mellado Blanco, Rain Kärner,

Event DescriptionConditions in most natural areas:• Flood lasts as long as runoff in river is increased

Conditions in most areas with flood protection (burst of embankments):• Flood lasts longer than runoff in river is increased

(delayed backflow)


Conditions in Po-Delta:• Rivers are supra-elevated• Area lies below the sea-level

Water can not discharge to the sea

True for:• Precipitation • Increased runoff in river (branches of Po)• Burst of embankments

Sea level

Data: S. Piovan



Municipalities that suffered major damages from the October November 2000 floods‐

Response and Recovery of the floods of 2000 in Po river basin in Northwest of Italy


Flooding of 2000 - Response and recovery

• Data best-fit and comparable for possible floodings.

• Initial response to (attempt to) restore basic living conditions, to clean the debris, to secure the hydrological structure


• Railway recovery near Turin – more than 2 years

• Temporary isolation of smaller towns in the area

• Hydropower plant recovery 6 months

• Water supply interuptions for a week

Flooding of 2000 - Response and recovery

Main problems of flood risk management

Po delta:• Lack of management on a river basin level• Poor communication and coordination between

water management institutions

• Expensive flood protection (pumping stations, maintenance of embankments)

• Bad condition of ditches – private owners, no regulations, neglected

• Warning system – not working effectively• Low level of public awareness about flood risk

Padova:• Canal network - bad condition of the canals

(vegetation, age)regulation of discharge sluices

Matti

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Panka Babukova


Technical flood risk mitigation measures

• Increase retention capacity – emergency reservoirs, collector of rainwater

• Reopening the canals and maintenance of the dykes and ditches

• Individual protection for the houses – mobile walls, building specifications

• (roof retention capacity, basement regulation, elevated first floor)

• Land architecture protection measures


Non-technical flood risk mitigation measures

• Flood risk management on a basin level (according to the EU Water Framework Directive and Floods Directive)

• Creation of dialog between institutions and distribution of responsibilities within the basin

• Use existing research

• Integration of existing flood hazard and risk maps in spatial planning regulations, insurance and for public

• Improvement of the early warning systems

• Raise public awareness and involvement

Matti

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Matti

a Amadio

Panka Babukova17th EUROPEAN SEMINAR ON GEOGRAPHY OF WATER Working group: Flooding and flood water mitigation

Po Delta is a complex territory, resulting from the interaction of human societies and a changing environment.

“Natural hazard” or “territorial risk” ?

Technical representations of natural hazard, based on calculations (modeling) of flood level, cannot completely explain a complex risky territorial context: vulnerability is increased by human behavior,

linked to cultural, social and historical factors

Awareness of territorial peculiarities as a pre-condition for the creation of a culture of risk

Reclaimed lands Trust in human ability to control and “organize” nature


Thank you for your attention!

Documents

17th EUROPEAN SEMINAR ON GEOGRAPHY OF WATER Working group: Flooding and flood water mitigation EVENT RESPONSE RECOVERY MITIGATION/ PLANNING WARNING Hazard