Flood Land Research Articles

Addressing Public Health Risks: Strategies to Combat Infectious Diseases After the August 2024 Floods in Bangladesh.

The August 2024 floods in Bangladesh have precipitated a major public health crisis, significantly elevating the risk of waterborne and vector-borne diseases and exacerbating existing health vulnerabilities. This disaster has impacted over 5 million people, causing widespread environmental disruption, population displacement, and strained healthcare resources. The flooding of latrines, sewage systems, and agricultural land has led to the contamination of drinking water sources, increasing the risk of cholera, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli diarrhoea, shigellosis, and hepatitis. Additionally, stagnant floodwaters have created breeding grounds for mosquitoes, thereby increasing the threat of malaria and dengue fever. The disruption of healthcare services has further compounded the crisis, delaying emergency responses and impeding access to care. The psychological impact on affected communities is profound, with mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder emerging as significant concerns. This perspective provides an analysis of these public health threats, supported by data on the impact of floods and a discussion of the underlying risk factors. This underscores the need for immediate and long-term public health interventions, including restoring clean water access, enhancing disease surveillance, repairing healthcare infrastructure, and addressing mental health needs. The response to this disaster must be rapid and comprehensive, with lessons learned to inform preparedness efforts to better manage similar events in the future.

A novel multi-hazard risk assessment framework for coastal cities under climate change

Coastal cities, as centres of human habitation, economic activity and biodiversity, are confronting the ever-escalating challenges posed by climate change. In this work, a novel Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment framework is presented with the focus on Coastal City Living Labs. The methodology provides a comprehensive assessment of climate-related hazards, including sea-level rise, coastal flooding, coastal erosion, land flooding, heavy precipitation, extreme temperatures, heatwaves, cold spells, landslides and strong winds. Its application is illustrated through a case study: the Coastal City Living Lab of Benidorm, Spain. The methodology incorporates remote sensing data from various satellite sources, such as ERA5, Urban Atlas and MERIT DEM, to evaluate multiple hazards through a systematic and standardized indicator-based approach, offering a holistic risk profile that allows for comparison with other European coastal cities. The integration of remote sensing data enhances the accuracy and resolution of hazard indicators, providing detailed insights into the spatiotemporal dynamics of climate risks. The incorporation of local expertise through the Coastal City Living Lab concept enriches data collection and ensures context-specific adequacy. The integration of local studies and historical extreme climate events enhances the validity and context of the risk indicators. The findings align with regional trends and reveal specific vulnerabilities, particularly related to heatwaves, heavy rainfall, and coastal flooding. Despite its strengths, the MHRA methodology faces limitations, including reliance on outdated datasets and the complexity of integrating multiple hazards. Continuous updates and adaptive management strategies are essential to maintain the accuracy and relevance of risk assessments. The broader implications of the methodology for global coastal cities highlight its potential as a model for developing targeted adaptation strategies.

Environmental impacts generated by the hydroelectric power plant El Quimbo - Colombia. An ex-post evaluation

Introduction: Hydroelectric power plants are the most demanded source of electrical energy worldwide after the year 2000. Objective: This article identified the environmental impacts generated by the construction and operation of the El Quimbo hydroelectric power plant in the area of influence in southern Colombia from an ex-post perspective. Methodology: The study was of a mixed nature, under the deductive and descriptive method using information gathering techniques such as documentary analysis, open and participatory reconnaissance and the Delphi survey. Results: A total of eighty-eight (88) environmental impacts were identified in the physical, biotic and socioeconomic spheres. In the physical dimension, aspects such as decreased river flow and land flooding were found; in the biotic dimension, aspects such as increased displacement of terrestrial fauna and increased mortality of native species of terrestrial flora and fauna were identified; and in the socioeconomic field, decreased agricultural employment and increased cost of living were highlighted. Conclusions: We conclude with the identification of a greater number of negative impacts in the socioeconomic dimension compared to the impacts in the physical and biotic fields.

THE INFLUENCE OF WASTE ACCUMULATION SITES FROM MINING AND PROCESSING PLANTS ON THE HYDROSPHERE OF ADJACENT TERRITORIES

The nature and directions of changes in the state of water bodies of the territory, for a long time (50 60 years) adjacent to the storage areas of mining waste (dumps) and enrichment (tailings) of iron ore raw materials, have been studied. It has been established that dumps and tailings are sources of the adjacent territories’ intense hydrosphere chemical pollution with highly mineralized filtrates. The most intense pollution and increase in groundwater levels at all horizons occurs in the first 10-15 years.In the future, in proportion to the service life of man-made structures, the area and level of chemical pollution of surface and underground water bodies increases, hydrogeological processes are increasing: flooding of lands, landslides, sinkholes.

Flood damage assessment for the Phan-Ca Lo River basin in Vinh Phuc Province, Vietnam

ABSTRACT In this research, the authors aim to evaluate the damage caused by floods in Vinh Phuc Province. The study incorporates the construction of hydro-hydraulic models and the development of damage functions for the main elements at risk. In order to ensure the accuracy of the calculated results, the hydro-hydraulic models and damage curves are verified for their reasonableness. The outcomes of this study give us an overview of flood damage in the research area. It indicates that the potential level of flood damage is a matter of significant concern, with an annual damage estimate of approximately 6.9 million USD. The research also reveals the distribution of damage by sector and by space. According to the research findings, the greatest damage was in Vinh Tuong District, where most of the damage was caused by flooding of agricultural land. In contrast, residential buildings in the area suffered relatively little damage compared to agricultural land. This information is crucial for decision-makers to implement effective and targeted mitigation measures.

Multi-hazard assessment of climate-related hazards for European coastal cities

The assessment of risk posed by climate change in coastal cities encompasses multiple climate-related hazards. Sea-level rise, coastal flooding and coastal erosion are important hazards, but they are not the only ones. The varying availability and quality of data across cities hinders the ability to conduct holistic and standardized multi-hazard assessments. Indeed, there are far fewer studies on multiple hazards than on single hazards. Also, the comparability of existing methodologies becomes challenging, making it difficult to establish a cohesive understanding of the overall vulnerability and resilience of coastal cities. The use of indicators allows for a standardized and systematic evaluation of baseline hazards across different cities. The methodology developed in this work establishes a framework to assess a wide variety of climate-related hazards across diverse coastal cities, including sea-level rise, coastal flooding, coastal erosion, heavy rainfall, land flooding, droughts, extreme temperatures, heatwaves, cold spells, strong winds and landslides. Indicators are produced and results are compared and mapped for ten European coastal cities. The indicators are meticulously designed to be applicable across different geographical contexts in Europe. In this manner, the proposed approach allows interventions to be prioritized based on the severity and urgency of the specific risks faced by each city.

Mapping of flood in the Juana Watershed for risk assessment

This research intends to map floods in the Juana Watershed. However, the flood disaster in the Seluna River system started when the flood land was developed for residential areas, agriculture as well as industry, so the damage potency due to the flood will increase. Along with the increasing of population number and density, the social impact that is more serious than flood will follow – like the threat of loss of life. The impact is the management of flood risk becomes more complex and expensive. The methodology for flood mapping consists of the assessment of flood index, vulnerability, and capacity. Determination of flood hazard index is carried out based on the classification of inundation depth. The process is carried out by using spatial calculation, so it can produce the risk map and grid value that can be used in arranging the explanation of the risk map. The result of flood mapping is hoped to be able to support the model development of flood risk management towards the area layout.

Reciprocal modulation of responses to nitrate starvation and hypoxia in roots and leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana

ABSTRACT The flooding of agricultural land leads to hypoxia and nitrate leaching. While understanding the plant’s response to these conditions is essential for crop improvement, the effect of extended nitrate limitation on subsequent hypoxia has not been studied in an organ-specific manner. We cultivated Arabidopsis thaliana without nitrate for 1 week before inducing hypoxia by bubbling the hydroponic solution with nitrogen gas for 16 h. In the roots, the transcripts of two transcription factor genes (HRA1, HRE2) and three genes involved in fermentation (SUS4, PDC1, ADH1) were ~10- to 100-fold upregulated by simultaneous hypoxia and nitrate starvation compared to the control condition (replete nitrate and oxygen). In contrast, this hypoxic upregulation was ~5 to 10 times stronger when nitrate was available. The phytoglobin genes PGB1 and PGB2, involved in nitric oxide (NO) scavenging, were massively downregulated by nitrate starvation (~1000-fold and 105-fold, respectively), but only under ambient oxygen levels; this was reflected in a 2.5-fold increase in NO concentration. In the leaves, HRA1, SUS4, and RAP2.3 were upregulated ~20-fold by hypoxia under nitrate starvation, whereas this upregulation was virtually absent in the presence of nitrate. Our results highlight that the plant’s responses to nitrate starvation and hypoxia can influence each other.

Patterns of Phytoplankton and Microphytobenthos Development in Channel Ecotones in the Goryn River

Studies of phytoplankton and microphytobenthos of the Goryn' River demonstrated discrete-continual character of these communities' development, which reflects occurrence of ecotones in the channel and flood land system of the river. In ecotones, upstream and downstream them the species composition, dominant complexes and quantitative parameters changed, owing to specific features and hydrological conditions of the flow forming. The algal functional groups diagnostic technique was tested to assess state of the algal communities and revelation of their development specificity in the Goryn River, which enabled to reveal mechanisms of the algal communities' modifications in terms of the functional groups within the ecotones: pool, riffle, contact zone of the river channel and ameliorated flood land.

Groundwater level management in a reclamation system

Soil fertility largely depends on the water regime of the territories. Yields on agricultural lands that are subject to flooding and waterlogging are low. On the other hand, lowering the groundwater level also negatively affects soil fertility. The desiccation of the soil leads to the destruction and weathering of the fertile layer. The periodic repetition of the processes of waterlogging, flooding and desiccation of soils leads to soil fusion, that is, the process of degradation of the soil cover does not stop. The reduction of arable land under the influence of various negative factors (deflation, salinization, acidification, desiccation, flooding and waterlogging of lands) reduces the social and economic development of regions. Crop shortages negatively affect the stability of the economy in agriculture. One of the main negative factors of economic destabilization is the degradation of arable land in the south of Russia from flooding.

ОЦЕНКА ПОСЛЕДСТВИЙ ЭКОЛОГО-ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИХ РИСКОВ В АГРАРНОМ ПРИРОДОПОЛЬЗОВАНИИ

The article updates the scientific development of economic tools for assessing possible environmental and economic risks in the Baikal region. Environmental risks in agricultural production are considered, production losses are calculated using the example of the southern territories. An economic assessment of the consequences of hydrological risks is shown using the example of flooding of agricultural land in the Kabansky district. The features of institutional regulation of environmental protection, as well as regulatory factors of economic activity for agricultural environmental management are presented. The technical and technological costs that cause an increase in production costs in crop and livestock production, lost profits and direct product losses are analyzed.

토출유량변화에 따른 배수용 수중펌프 성능 특성에 대한 해석적 연구

Abnormal weather owing to climate change has become commonplace. Large and small floods have steadily occurred annually, increasing damage owing to flooding of agricultural land. Recently, owing to torrential rain, three of four rainwater pumping stations installed in Cheongyang-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, had failed to operate properly, thereby flooding several buildings and facility houses. In this study, an analytical study was conducted on the performance characteristics of centrifugal submersible pumps according to changes in the discharge flow rate. The results confirmed that the efficiency of the submersible pump for the experiment and analysis was within ±3.4% with the discharge flow rate.

Assessment of coal mining impact on the geoecological transformation of the Emerald network ecosystem

Purpose. Geoecological assessment of impact on the ecosystem transformation of a part of Emerald Network object “Samarskyi Lis – UA0000212” caused by coal mining at the section of “Ternivska” mine (Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine) using the methods of remote sensing of the Earth in conditions of limited access to the study object due to the state of martial law in Ukraine. Methodology. A complex of standardized field, paper, laboratory and statistical research methods was used. When studying aquatic vegetation, generally accepted methods for describing the species and coenotic composition of vegetation and hydrobotanical mapping were used. The study on soil vegetation was carried out with the selection and description of the main phytocenoses, features of their composition and distribution on the territory. Floristic studies were carried out according to the method for collecting herbarium material. Field routes were carried out on the land surface along the mining of the coal bed with the recording of destructive changes in the landscape (falls, top-soil breaks, sufosis manifestations, cracks, lowering of the relief) and plant groups – the colour and condition of tree, shrub and grass vegetation. In order to compare visual observation data and obtain representative and reliable research results, the facility was monitored additionally using modern geoinformation systems. A satellite observation tool was used; it allowed searching, processing, and obtaining information from satellite data according to various indexes: WRI, NDWI, MNDWI, NDSI. Findings. Negative consequences of the impact of the coal mine “Ternivska” on the geological and ecological transformation of the Emerald network ecosystem “Samarskyi Lis – UA0000212” have been established. It has been proven that long-term underflooding and flooding of lands leads to a change in the species composition of the forest stand, the death of the understory and grass layer, and the complete destruction of the existing plant and animal communities. In flooded areas of oak forests and pine plantations, forest species die out and wetland plant species spread. Over three years (2020–2023), the area of visible and established flooding according to remote sensing data has increased from 1 to 6 hectares, respectively. Originality. Dynamics of the process of the land surface subsidence and protected area flooding has been established according to the data of open-source geoinformation systems and the comparison of various satellite data indexes (WRI, NDWI, MNDWI, NDSI). Gradual changes in the species composition of the forest stand, the death of the understory and the grass layer were revealed. It has been confirmed that long-term flooding leads to the complete destruction of existing plant and animal communities, the destruction of compound complexes of soil mesofauna makes development impossible for the terrestrial invertebrate species that lived in these biotopes before their destruction, including species from the Red List of Ukraine and protected by the Berne Convention. Practical value. In the conditions of limited access for conducting direct geodetic and engineering-geological studies, the methodology of using modern GIS by combining various spectral channels (indexes) is substantiated to determine and study the dynamics of the underflooding (flooding) process in the territory. In combination with traditional field geobotanical research, the results of monitoring observations of the coal mining activity and its impact on the geoecological transformation of the ecosystem of the Emerald Network object are presented for the first time in the region. The negative impact of mining activity on natural conservation areas, which leads to the death and gradual change in the species composition of plants, has been determined.

High-level characterisation and mapping of key climate-change hazards in European coastal cities

Sea-level and temperature rise due to climate change exacerbate existing climate-related hazards in coastal areas. In this work, an approach based on Coastal City Living Labs is developed to carry out a high-level characterisation of key climate-related hazards for ten European coastal cities. The Coastal City Living Labs are conceived as physical and virtual spaces in which stakeholders meet for collaboration, co-creation and co-ideation to solve the challenges posed by climate-related hazards. The information on past extreme climate events and local knowledge thus obtained are combined to identify the main hazards for each city. Subsequently, these hazards are categorised based on the recommendations of the recent Sixth Assessment Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The main climate-related hazards are found to be storms, coastal and land flooding, and coastal erosion. Importantly, significant differences are found between the specific cities as to the main hazards of concern. Even within the same coastal city, relevant differences are found in respect of the main hazards, depending on the area considered. It follows that granularity in the characterisation of the hazards is fundamental in designing mitigation measures. To clarify the spatial extent of the different hazards in each coastal city, bespoke maps are produced through GIS software. In addition to the interest of the results for the specific cities investigated, this work provides a methodology to assess climate-related hazards in coastal areas using Coastal City Living Labs, which can be applied elsewhere.

Land Management and Soil Quality in Sago-Based Agroforestry System: A Study on Mooi Tribe’s Ecological Knowledge (Sorong, Southwest Papua) and Modern Ecological Knowledge (MEK)

Sago farmers from the Mooi tribe in Sorong Regency - Southwest Papua have consumed and cultivated sago for generations. This research aims to understand the local ecological knowledge (LEK) of sago farmers in managing their land to maintain soil quality in sago agroforestry, compared with modern/scientific environmental understanding. The survey was conducted from February to October 2021 in three sub-districts, Sorong Regency, using an exploratory descriptive method among Mooi sago farmers. Intact soil samples were taken to measure soil physical properties and disturbed soil samples to analyze soil chemical properties (pH, C-Organic, Total N, P, K, CEC, base saturation). The results of this research show that what sago farmers have in common with the unique habits of the Mooi tribe's harvest system is that they harvest enough sago starch to consume or sell if there is too much of it. According to sago farmers, the best land for growing sago is close to a water source and is not affected by soil biota and fertilization. and sago farmers will leave ella sago dregs on the land. Meanwhile, according to MEK, starch formation decreases in flooded land and the remaining sago dregs are very good for making compost and animal feed. In sago forests where sago grows naturally, the soil texture is dominated by silt, having a pH of 5.8-7.2; High total organic C 2.8-5.2%, P 14.08-66.44 mg/kg, K 755.3 – 1626.8 mg/kg, CEC 18-40 cmol(+)/kg, and base saturation 30 – 134%. These values are relatively higher than on land with a sago-based agroforestry system.

Study on the Ecological Planting Mode of Beach Land in Shaanxi Section of Hanjiang River Basin

In view of the technical difficulties encountered in the construction and development of the agricultural industry chain in the Shaanxi section of the Hanjiang River Basin, such as the problems of crop planting and ecological industry chain construction, the typical research area of the Shaanxi section of the Hanjiang River Basin-Hanzhong City was investigated. By exploring the ecological planting mode of the flood land in the Hanjiang River Basin, the ecological planting mode of the flood land was optimized in order to provide reference for the development of the agricultural planting industry chain of the land consolidation project.

Rethinking for the Land

Several researchers have explored how landscape planning and design can effectively mitigate floods and leverage flood benefits in flooded land. However, these landscape planning opportunities are rarely used and rarely discussed in research areas. Generally, the people who live in flood-prone areas are economically dependent on this land. Hence, they come back repeatedly after every flood for their livelihood. For instance, Bangladesh, which suffers from floods due to its geographical location and topographical characteristics, has yet to learn about the opportunities available for landscape planning & design. In this research, Shahzadpur Upazila situated near the Jamuna River is considered a case, is the most vulnerable and flood-prone area in Sirajganj. Every year around 20000 people are suffering more or less in Shahzadpur. Many of them are obliged to do temporary migration and start from nothing all over again. Government management response commonly involves riverbank erosion treatment and non-government organization (NGO) funding only for installing tube wells and toilets. Moreover, the importance of bringing back resiliency in those lands is diverting backward due to a lack of knowledge and attention. Due to many challenges, the research focuses on only landscape planning & design before architecture. This paper presents a strategic framework that will discuss the challenges that need to be overcome and the opportunities to address each. The following three landscape planning strategies are discussed to reduce flood damage: raising the land, creating wetlands, and using agriculture as a buffer. Along with this, a mixed-method approach will shortlist the opportunities according to the villager’s needs in terms of implementation. The approaches will introduce the possibilities coming with floods and bring back resilience to the land again.

The Influence of the Main Factors on the Accuracy of Hydrological Modelling of Flooded Lands

This paper proposes a general methodological approach to hydrological modeling for determining the areas of flooded land in the plain part of the Dniester riverbed, the second largest river in Ukraine. The purpose of the study is the selection of parameters for modeling flooded zones in the plain section of the Dniester riverbed, taking into account the rising water level caused by the freshet that occurred in the western part of Ukraine on 22–24 June 2020. The proposed study examines the workflow of hydrological modeling of the flooded land zone and the main components of this scheme: the construction of the DTM, considering the roughness of the riparian territory by Manning’s coefficients, and indications of water rise. In the experiment, the influence of DTM reproduction resolution and Manning coefficients was analyzed, and their optimal values were selected, which allowed obtaining the parameters of hydrological modeling with a higher probability. The identified flooding areas were tested using a high-resolution space image during the flood in June 2020. The distance between the profiles affects not only the value of the modeling area but also their detail. The accuracy of the modeled flooded area is 5.1% for a 5 m interval between the profiles, 6.9% for 50 m, 8.2% for 100 m, and 10.8% for 200 m. These results allow determining the degree of influence of the distance between intervals on the modeling accuracy. Using different values of Manning’s coefficients for individual sections with different bedding surfaces and the selected spacing between profiles, which was 50 m, the accuracy of the modeling was investigated. After the modelling, the simulated flood areas were obtained in vector form, which allows for determining their areas and comparing them with the test flooded area. In the presented research, the RMSE of determining the flooded areas is about 5%. The test area of 600.6 hectares was determined with an accuracy of 0.8%.

On the successful acclimatization of the Colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say, 1824) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in Primorsky kray

The successful naturalization of the Colorado potato beetle in Primorsky Kray is limited by the monsoon climate, namely unstable fluctuating weather conditions with periodic catastrophic precipitation. The most of potato fields are located in the bottomlands of rivers or in close proximity to water bodies and a drastic increase in the runoff due to excessive simultaneous rainfall leads to the flooding of agricultural lands and the elimination of the fodder plants. The Colorado potato beetle is an oligophage and can not switch to alternative food sources during these periods. Moreover, beetles that enter diapause under these conditions die because of flooding and cold injury. Despite this fact, the pest remains a threat to the potato production in the region and can cause significant damage in case of repeated invasions during periods with more favorable conditions.

Effect of land flooding in controlling weeds to several rice varieties in System of Rice Intensification (SRI)

Rice is still a main carbohydrat source for almost Asian people. The System of rice intensification (SRI) method is one effort in increasing rice production. In cultivating rice in this method, weed is the main problem. The research aimed to study the effect of land flooding to control weeds in rice field by using various rice varieties. The research was carried out in public rice field, Kuranji district, Padang, Indonesia. It was conducted from July-September 2019. A block randomized design was used as method in the study. The treatment was rice varieties: Batang Piaman, Panca Redek, PB 42, Batang Pasaman, and Saganggam Panuah. These treatments were replied to three times. The result showed 15 weed species were found in the experiment. According to Summed dominance ratio, Echinochloa crusgalli was the most dominant species in the field (28.05%). For plant height, Saganggam Panuah was the best variety (86.00 cm), and Batang Pasaman was the best one (20.50) for a number of the tiller.