River Embankments Research Articles

Flood frequency and flood intensity changes in the post embankment period in the Kosi sub-basin India: Impact of location, caste, and class on the flood vulnerability of the marginal communities

The overall precipitation in the state of Bihar, India is showing a decreasing trend both annually and seasonally, and yet extreme flood events are on the rise. The Kosi river embankments built to safeguard communities against flood risk are a product of socio-political and historical events in the past, but have resulted in differential impacts on those living inside and outside these embankments. The geomorphology of the river Kosi also makes it highly susceptible to recurring floods because it forms one of the largest inland deltas in North Bihar. Flood protection structures such as embankments exacerbate the magnitude of floods by jacketing the heavy sediment load and thus raising the riverbeds and exacerbating the intensity and duration of floods. Our paper employs an interdisciplinary approach to analysing both the biophysical and socio-institutional causalities of increasing flood events. From the quantitative analysis of rainfall data, we find that the daily, as well as monthly rainfall alone are not responsible for extreme flood events. The extreme rainfall events in the summer monsoon also do not increase the odds of flooding. Therefore, we conclude that precipitation alone is not the main factor affecting community's vulnerabilities but, a combination of socio-institutional factors including spatial location with respect to the embankment, class and caste of these communities. Our statistical analysis correlating daily and monthly gridded rainfall to the occurrences of flooding at the district level suggest that there are fewer flood events in the presence of the embankments across all years. However, primary data from household interviews and field observations confirm that the frequency and intensity of floods have increased in the post-embankment period. We found that the breaching of the river embankments is one of the major factors responsible for floods outside of the embankments. Kosi's marginalized communities perceive that they have become more vulnerable to flood risk in the post-embankment period with a declining standard of living in the Kosi villages caused by lack of proper roads, economic opportunities, educational institutions, public utilities and healthcare facilities, especially in areas with embankments.

Optimalisasi Stabilitas Lereng pada Daerah Sempadan Sungai Santer Kecamatan Gumukmas Kabupaten Jember

The Santer Riverbank which is located in Panggul Melati Hamlet, Kepanjen Village, Gumukmas District, Jember Regency, East Java is still used by the community for agricultural land. This research was conducted to create safe agricultural land for the community. Landslides on this riverbank often occur because it is located on the edge of the river and has a steep slope. In the observation in 2022, there is a collapsed riverbank approximately 20 meters in front of the river embankment. To prevent a longer landslide area, the slopes on the river border are optimized so that residents can still use the land safely. The selected reinforcement is made based on the geometric conditions and the results of the SF value from modeling the existing conditions using the Geostudio program. Appropriate reinforcement based on geometric conditions and SF values ​​is a balancing method. close to the counterweight method, the geometric conditions are more optimal with the SF value increasing from 1.099 to 1.623

Analysis of transient seepage through a river embankment by means of centrifuge modelling

Earthen river embankments are typically in unsaturated conditions during their lifetime and the degree of saturation within their bodies may vary significantly throughout the year, due to seasonalfluctuations of the river stage, as well as infiltrations of meteoric precipitation and evapotranspiration phenomena. Given the significant effects of partial saturation on the hydro-mechanical behaviour of soils, realistic assumptions on the actual water content distribution inside the embankments are essential forproperly modelling their response to hydraulic loadings. In this framework, centrifuge modelling is a useful tool to get insights into the evolution of saturation conditions of a water retaining structure during flood events. It allows for the direct observation of the groundwater flow process, which is hardly detectable at the prototype scale, enabling, at the same time, the validation and calibration of predictive numerical tools.In this paper, the results of a centrifuge test carried out on small-scale physical model of a compacted silty clayey sand embankment subjected to a simulated high-water event, at the enhanced gravity of 50-g, are presented and discussed. The physical model was carefully instrumented with potentiometers, miniaturized pore pressure transducers and tensiometers. Pore pressures and suctions measured during the experiment showed that the stationary flow conditions were reached only after an unrealistic hydrometric peak persistence. It therefore emerges that, for the design and/or the assessment of the safety conditions of a river embankment similar to the one tested, the simplified hypothesis of a steady-state seepage, in equilibrium with the maximum river stage expected could result, in many cases, an excessively conservative assumption.

Soil water retention curves of a silty clayey sand compacted at different dry density

The study of the hydraulic behaviour of compacted soils in partially saturated conditions is essential for understanding the engineering performance of geotechnical structures such as river embankments. The paper presents the results of an experimental study focusing on the effects of the initial water content and dry density on soil water retention curve (SWRC) and volume change of a compacted soil mixture under hydraulic loading. For this purpose, soil specimens compacted at different water contents(dry, wet and optimum water content), chosen on the basis of standard Proctor compaction test, were used. Specimens of a mixture composed of 70% Ticino sand (TS) and 30% Pontida silt (PON) have been tested. This is a heterogeneous mixture of sand and silt, that usually constitute the embankments of tributaries of river Po (Italy). The SWRCs along drying paths were performed by means of evaporation tests starting from the saturated conditions gained in permeameter tests. For the investigation of the change in the void index during the evaporation test, the volume variation of the tested specimens was estimated by means of a calliper and photographic comparison. Changes in the SWRCs are consistent with changes in specimen initial condition while the soil volume change exhibited at the end of evaporation test is always negligible.

The effect of channel geometry and check dam location on sediment transport discharge in the Kuranji River

Rivers as infrastructure carry water from upstream to downstream to meet the water needs of communities along the river and as drainage. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain the stability of the river from erosion and sedimentation. Changes in river geometry are mostly caused by the high intensity of rainfall in the upstream section. This causes the geometry to change easily, many bends are found, river embankments collapse, and the slope and flow of the river change suddenly. As a result, water will wash away sediment from upstream to downstream with high sediment discharge. However, the sediment rate/discharge can be reduced by building a check dam, but it needs the right location so that the construction of the check dam is effective and the river flow is stable. Research using HEC-RAS has been carried out at the location of the middle section of the Kuranji River, where simulating three check dam locations shows that the reduction in sediment discharge is very effective, but other places are still the same as without the check dam. Therefore, it is recommended to build check dam series and groundsills at narrowing locations and strengthen river banks at Sta. 16 to Sta. 32.

Флуктуирующая асимметрия листьев рябины обыкновенной (Sorbus aucuparia L.) как биоиндикатор аэротехногенного загрязнения города Оренбурга

An assessment of environmental pollution in the city of Orenburg was conducted using the fluctuating asymmetry method. The common mountain ash was chosen as an environ­mental indicator. Leaf collection took place at seven points in the city with varying anthropo­genic loads. The research aimed to determine the impact of aerotechnogenic pollution on the magnitude of the fluctuating asymmetry of the leaf blade of the populations of mountain ash within the city of Orenburg. The study revealed that the leaf blades of mountain ash in urban conditions are affected by anthropogenic factors, experiencing air pollution and accumulating harmful substances. The fluctuating asymmetry method can be used as an indicator of plant development instability in urban ecosystems. Elevated environmental stress, based on the integral indicator of fluctuating asymmetry, was noted at all points except the Ural River Embankment. In this area, the growing conditions for plants were characterized as satisfacto­ry. Through pairwise correlation analysis of the examined characteristics, the closest connec­tions were found between two pairs: the width of the leaf half — the distance between the ba­ses of the first and second order veins; the distance from the base of the leaf plate to the end of the second-order vein — the angle between the main vein and the second from the base of the leaf.

Research Progress of Eco-Friendly Portland Cement Porous Concrete: A Review

With the great impetus of energy conservation and emission reduction policies in various countries, the proposal of concepts such as “Sponge City” and “Eco-City”, and the emphasis on restoration and governance of ecological environment day by day, portland cement porous concrete (PCPC), as a novel building material, has attracted more and more attention from scientific researchers and engineers. PCPC possesses the peculiar pore structure, which owns numerous functions like river embankment protection, vegetation greening as well as air-cleaning, and has been of wide application in different engineering fields. This paper reviews the salient properties of PCPC, detailedly expounds the research progress of domestic and foreign literature about this subject in the past ten years (2010–2020), conducts the statistical analysis of the distribution rule of its major properties around the world, combines with the engineering application to summarize the excellent properties of PCPC, and makes a forecast of future research direction.

Geotechnical Screening of Linear Earth Structures: Electric and Seismic Streamer Data for Hydraulic Conductivity Assessment of the Arignano Earth Dam, Italy

River embankments and small earth dams are linear retaining structures commonly used to protect densely populated areas from flood phenomena and to provide water reservoirs for human or agricultural use. Their continuity and uniformity are fundamental to their structural efficiency. Due to their significant length and the localized nature of potential weakness points, their characterization cannot rely only on local geotechnical investigations: it requires the application of efficient and affordable investigation methods. The need for new screening tools is becoming increasingly important worldwide because most river embankments and small earth dams are reaching their design life limit due to aging. This study used a new electric streamer and a seismic streamer for the combined measurement of resistivity and shear wave velocity to investigate the Arignano earth dam (Piedmont Region, northwestern Italy), a historical reservoir used for agricultural purposes. A procedure is also proposed to assess hydraulic conductivity from the measured geophysical parameters. The results of this assessment were compared with available geotechnical investigations and also used for calibrating the proposed procedure. Results are in good agreement when compared with local geotechnical investigations. The proposed procedure can therefore provide engineers and local authorities with information to plan maintenance or urgent measures for reducing flood risk.

Geotechnical Assessment of Steel Slag for River Embankments

Geotechnical Assessment of Steel Slag for River Embankments

Performance monitoring and evaluation of water environment treatment PPP projects with multi-source heterogeneous information

Effective measurement and monitoring of the quality of services from the private sector, in the terms of performance in water environment treatment public-private partnership projects (WETPs-PPP), is one of the keys to the success of these projects. Based on the deficiencies of performance monitoring and evaluation theory and the specific characteristics of WETPs-PPP, this study developed a performance monitoring and evaluation model for WETPs-PPP. First, through a literature analysis, a performance monitoring and evaluation index system of WETPs-PPP was constructed from eight dimensions including river embankment, bridges, river water, environment, garden facilities, garden plants, special purpose vehicle, hydraulic structure, and public satisfaction. Second, by combining the adaptive weighted fusion algorithm and Intuitionistic Fuzzy (IF) average operators, multi-source, multi-dimensional, and multi-spatio-temporal data were aggregated. Third, to improve the robustness of the performance monitoring results, the MULTIMOORA evaluation method with a defuzzification procedure under the IF environment was developed to conduct performance monitoring and evaluation for WETPs-PPP. Finally, a water environment treatment and ecological restoration project was used as an example to illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed theoretical model.

How should river embankments be spatially developed, from the upstream section or the downstream section?

AbstractUsing an economic model of how river embankments affect local residents, we explore the efficiency of embankment construction from two viewpoints: (1) which section of a river should be constructed first, the upstream or downstream section, and (2) how tall the embankments should be constructed depending on the section. For this purpose, we first develop a model to determine efficient construction of embankments using a hydraulic model. Then, we perform numerical simulations, which are calibrated with recorded ground data for the Kitakami and Abukuma Rivers. The results reveal that the construction from the upstream section can be efficient if the upstream section has a much larger population than the downstream section. We show that constructing higher embankments in the upstream section generates negative externalities in the downstream section because it increases the possibility of flooding in the downstream section. In addition, when the amount of inflow from tributaries into the downstream section is sufficiently large compared to that into the upstream section, embankments with efficient heights bring about Pareto improvements, giving benefit to residents in the downstream section as well as the upstream section. Moreover, we show that the efficient embankment heights depend on which section the construction starts from.

Normalisasi Sungai Cilemer Kabupaten Pandeglang, Banten (Studi Kasus HM 00+00 sampai HM 153+00)

Along with changes in river conditions and population growth, rivers do not function optimally, so as a result of these changes, flooding occurs and causes many losses. Banten Province floods have impacted the community, damaging buildings, rice fields, facilities and infrastructure, and the environment, harming people's livelihoods, especially in the Cilemer River. This study aimed to determine the magnitude of the planned flood discharge for the 100-year return period, the river's capacity with the flood discharge, and the best solution to the Cilemer River's flooding problem. The flood discharge cannot be accommodated by rainfall plans of 177.137 mm, HM 00+00 to HM 153+00, with 94 cross-sectional river segments. According to the hydraulic analysis, the Cilemer River's capacity in the current conditions cannot drain the planned flood discharge, so flood control efforts are required. River normalization and embankment elevation reduced water level by 45.42 percent on average and discharged by 12.46 percent on average.

Disaster Mitigation Policy by The Government Of Bima In Realizing A Disaster Resilient City

The purpose of this research is to describe the local government policies in realizing Bima as a Disaster Resilient City and to describe the form of disaster mitigation policies by the Bima government in realizing a Disaster Resilient City. Research method of this research is normative-empirical legal research (Mix Methods), using a statutory approach (Statute Approach), and a conceptual approach, the type of data used is secondary data and is supported by primary data. The result shows that the disaster mitigation policy efforts developed by the Bima City government are in the form of Structural (Physical) Mitigation, drainage systems, retention dams, construction of retaining dams, making check dams, dams, earthquake-resistant house river embankments. Non-Structural (Non-Physical) Mitigation legislation, training, socialization. The policy forms of the Bima Government indicate that a Regional Regulation is made which includes the establishment of development policies that pose a risk of disaster, disaster prevention activities, emergency response and rehabilitation. In addition, other policies are 7 priority Regional Resilience Index (IKD) and 71 Regional Resilience Index Indicators in 2020/2021. The usefulness of this research is academically, this research is expected to be useful for further researchers as well as the development of legal science in the future, practically, this research is expected to be a reference for further researchers and the Government in particular in studying how disaster mitigation policy arrangements by Bima Government in order to realize Disaster Resilient City. The authenticity of this research lies in the regulation of disaster mitigation policies, as far as the authors search that the policies carried out by the City government already exist, but in the post-disaster period, those who have conducted research on other objects. Therefore, it is considered important to do research.

Resistivity imaging of river embankments: 3D effects due to varying water levels in tidal rivers

AbstractElectrical resistivity tomography (ERT) has seen increased use in the monitoring the condition of river embankments, due to its spatial subsurface coverage, sensitivity to changes in internal states, such as moisture content, and ability to identify seepage and other erosional process with time‐lapse ERT. Two‐dimensional ERT surveys are commonly used due to time and site constraints, but they are often sensitive to features of anomalous resistivity proximal to the survey line, which can distort the resultant inversion as a three‐dimensional (3D) effect. In a tidal embankment, these 3D effects may result from changing water levels and river water salinities. ERT monitoring data at Hadleigh Marsh, UK, showed potential evidence of 3D effects from local water bodies. Synthetic modelling was used to quantify potential 3D effects on tidal embankments. The modelling shows that a 3D effect in a tidal environment occurs (for the geometries studied) when surveys are undertaken at high water levels and at distances less than 4.5 m from the electrode array with 1 m spacing. The 3D effect in the modelling is enhanced in brackish waters, which are common in tidal environments, and with larger electrode spacing. Different geologies, river water compositions, and proximities to the model parameters are expected to induce a varied 3D effect on the ERT data in terms of magnitude, and these should be considered when surveying to minimize artefacts in the data. This research highlights the importance of appropriate geoelectrical measurement design for tidal embankment characterization, particularly with proximal and saline water bodies.

Detect submerged piping in river embankment by passive infrared thermography

Piping is one of the most harmful driving factors causing river embankment failures. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) carried passive infrared thermography (IRT) is introduced herein for detecting submerged piping in river embankments. To verify the feasibility of this detection strategy and accumulate detection experience, an outdoor piping simulation platform was built. On the basis of exploring the time varying regulations of water temperature, night and afternoon are identified as the better time for piping detection. Passive IRT-based piping experiments of 9 submerging depths and 8 piping flow rates were carried out during nights and afternoons, and the heat distribution characteristics of the piping outlet in the thermal image under different submerging depths and flow rates were studied in detail. The effectiveness of passive IRT detecting piping in rainy weather was also explored. Finally, applicability and limitations of UAV carried passive IRT detecting piping were studied in an actual river embankment.

Examination of effective foundation drainage work against seepage failure of river embankments on highly permeable foundation ground

Examination of effective foundation drainage work against seepage failure of river embankments on highly permeable foundation ground

Tidal Bore Scour around a Spur Dike

Tidal bores are a natural phenomenon with high flow velocity and destructive potential. A spur dike is a widely used river regulation and embankment protection structure that minimizes erosion, promotes deposition, and protects riverbanks. However, the scouring mechanism around a spur dike under the action of a tidal bore is not fully understood, and accurately estimating the maximum scour depth has always been a challenge, limiting the construction and maintenance of spur dikes in estuarine and marine environments. This study analyzed the scouring characteristics around a spur dike induced by tidal bores via field observation and model experiments. The results show that the scours around a spur dike can be divided into dike head scour and upstream side scour. The scour depth is related to the geometric shape of the spur dike and its surrounding riverbed, hydrodynamic forces, and sediment characteristics. The least squares method obtained the fitting formulas for the depth of the scour at the dike head and upstream side. Overall, the present study indicates an agreement of the scouring characteristics around a spur dike between the field observations and laboratory experiment, and the fitting formulas can be effectively applied to engineering practices of a macro-tidal estuary.

Automatic recognition of earth rock embankment leakage based on UAV passive infrared thermography and deep learning

Leakage erosion is one of the most harmful driving factors causing river embankment breaches, particularly in flood season. However, manual patrol is the main way to find river embankment leakage presently, which badly hinders disaster prevention. To realize the efficient detection and automatic identification of embankment leakage, for the first time the strategy of UAV carried passive infrared thermography combined with transfer learning is introduced herein as an innovative approach to ensure embankment safety. Especially, the problem of embankment leakage identification is transformed into image classification. The main research objects in this study are slope leakage and piping, two of the most dangerous causes of embankment failure. To obtain sufficient images for model training, an open-air simulation platform which can simulate the slope leakage and piping under the actual service conditions of river embankment is established. A total of more than 500 infrared thermography experiments are conducted on the leakage simulation platform and then an infrared image database containing more than 10,000 images which contain various thermal anomaly areas generated by 6 classes of embankment leakage is established. Using these images and AlexNet-based transfer learning method, an image classification model with excellent performance is trained. This model has a classification accuracy of 94.90%, a small leakage missed rate of 0.64%, and a small false alarm rate of 2.65% on the test set. Moreover, before model deployment, visualization techniques such as t-SNE and Grad-CAM are adopted to provide interior insight of the model to ensure that the objects of concern on which the model makes its classification decisions are reasonable. Finally, field tests demonstrated strong feasibility of UAV carried infrared thermography combined with this well-trained model, and revels that the proposed leakage detection and recognition approach has good applicability and generalization.

Exploration of the Construction Technology of River Embankment Protection Works in the Hydraulic Engineering

Exploration of the Construction Technology of River Embankment Protection Works in the Hydraulic Engineering

From Systemic Underdevelopment to Basic Urban Maintenance: National Priority Projects in the Russian Periphery

The case of urban development in the Russian periphery is often overlooked in the scholarly efforts to theorize the center-periphery dynamics characteristic of the post-socialist contexts, not least in the case of Russia. Consequently, the analysis of urban development initiatives in the regions and provinces defies the logic of large-scale urban projects with characteristic subdominant relations between the state and the private sector, since the latter and the former are tied in competition for limited federal resources. We delve into the particularities of the center-periphery dynamics through the case of the Vologda River embankment renovation project, paying particular attention to the decision-making processes, lack of transparency, and bureaucratic hustle in response to the civil protest—all characteristic of a distinctive, though common across Russia’s peripheral towns, dilemma of systemic underdevelopment vs basic urban maintenance. We rely on discourse analysis of legal and regulatory documents, project plans, meetings proceedings and official correspondence between departmental agencies, and media posts created by the local protest groups during the period of 2018–2019. Through this analysis, we showcase not only the asymmetries of power relations in the postsocialist periphery, but also bureaucratic constraints and uncertainties that often amount to a standstill situation with uncertain prospects for future improvement.