Abstract
River basin safety issues and hazards arising from extreme hydrological and meteorological events pose significant risks to human life and can entail economic and financial losses. In this study, the practical aspects of reliability theory linked to reliability engineering, and the associated mathematical tools used to describe technical systems, were applied to explore the structural reliability of a quasi-natural system—a portion of the Upper Sola River catchment in Poland. As part of this study, methods such as the Fault Tree Method (FTM), Event Tree Method (ETM), Risk Matrix and Ranking Method for assessing hazard, risk and losses connected with the occurrence of such events are suggested to improve flood risk management and enhance the capacity to safeguard against such events by improving current flood protection protocols in accordance with EC Flood Directives.
Highlights
In force since 26 November 2007, flood protection directives within the European Union (EU)are outlined in the Flood Directive on the assessment and management of flood risks [1], which sets goals, suggests activities and provides methods to reduce the adverse effects of floods
Hydrological system safety depends primarily on procedures and regulations related to extreme hydrological event risk management. These should be included in plans of hydrological system security, which we propose should be a part of the flood risk management plans implemented under the Flood Directive
An attempt to provide a mathematical description of the reliable functioning of a river catchment was undertaken using reliability engineering tools drawn from practical aspects of reliability and safety theory
Summary
In force since 26 November 2007, flood protection directives within the European Union (EU)are outlined in the Flood Directive on the assessment and management of flood risks [1], which sets goals, suggests activities and provides methods to reduce the adverse effects of floods. The concept of flood risk combines the probability of flooding (threat or hazard), and the related potential negative consequences with respect to human health and life, the environment, cultural heritage and economic activities. These consequences reflect the management of the affected area (exposure), the vulnerability of the elements managed within the flood event, and the ability of local communities to combat the threat and reality of floods (sensitivity or resilience). Flooding risk is a function of hazard, exposure and sensitivity to flooding, key factors in determining, respectively, the magnitude and areal extent of extreme events’ impacts, land-use within the geographic area of the event’s impact, and the resilience of people and objects to event occurrence.
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