Planning for Flooding
- Meera Naveen
- Jul 29, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 30
So many countries are at much risk of sinking: Bangladesh, India, China, the Netherlands, etc.
You don't need to be a floodplain mapper/analyst to understand the basics of how flooding happens, which communities are at risk and the solutions being implemented globally to prevent it or simply be better prepared.
Especially if you live in a river or coastal community that is at risk of sinking dangerously by 2100, this should apply to you.
First, make sure you know how and why flooding happens. When thinking generally of its causes, changes in tides due to the moon's movement and other astronomical factors, wave runups due to already low coastlines, rain storms and tsunamis come to mind.
Generalized causes that are paired with the increasing frequency of these events are factors like climate change, and mainly urbanization and erosion.
Powerful floods can drive water up the hill through underground man-made systems, damage infrastructure, result in more erosion and runoff, etc. It can also disrupt the transportation and economy, backbones of urban civilizations.
2. Next, identify places at risk. This could be your beach town, or a river village on the other side of the globe. Wherever it is, use tools like NASA's Projection Tool to map them and figure out how much sea level rise they would experience by 2100 and beyond. It might be easier to research a place nearby if you have plans to implement your solution, but even if you aren't able to implement it in the desired place, you can always take elements of your plan and implement them in a nearby area. If you have enough time, research the communities there, the surrounding landscape (is it mountainous or completely flat), the perspectives of the people, the communities' economy, and current solutions being implemented to protect them from flooding.
3. Then, research innovative, out-of-the norms, successful solutions being implemented globally for similar problems, and find their pros and cons. Having a global perspective of different ideas to prevent/protect against this disaster can help you link an effective solution to an at-risk area based on its situation. Be sure to consider the cost, time, and effort each solution would take, as well as the benefits.
4. Decide (and design) your solution. If you're an amateur (like me :-)), I would recommend writing out a simple paragraph/thesis (like a research paper) that explains your idea and reasons as to why it would work. Incorporating ideas from global solutions and knowing the facts about where you want to implement it gives extra points as to why it makes sense. Use Tinkercad or another beginner design software to start off designing, and if you have a 3-D printer, you can even print your model out to see how it works! In fact, it was scrolling through Tinkercad's lesson plans that I even saw one to create a flood solution. I was inspired to try it out, which is why I'm writing this now.
If you have more experience in 3-D designing, I bet you'd know where to go.
5. Double-check if it fits the needs and restraints of the area and have others, including profesionals, evaluate your plan. If you're a professional in this field, just consulting with colleagues can be a way to go. If you're not, seek the evaluation of family and friends, and if you have any connection with someone who has more experience with engineering/architecture or better yet urban/floodplain mapping, whether that be a teacher, a sibling, a parent/guardian, a colleague, or someone you met at a science fair, definitely reach out to them.
6. Take additional notes of backup plans and other tips. After revising and finalizing your design, think of additional steps people can take to protect themselves from flooding. For instance, I found that designing the city and certain flood barriers in a natural way where you sort of "restore habitats" by planting native species helps introduce biodiversity as well as drains the water. Even more, thanks to C40 Knowledge Hub, I learned about the cut-and-fill technique that moves soil and rock to low-lying areas, building deconstructable buildings (whose material can be recycled for something else), and the planning of retreats with the community so no one will be in a frenzy if a major flood were to happen.
7. If you are comfortable with it, share your plan to the government of your country/state if it is a problem where you live. If not, research who to send the plan to in the area you chose and do so.
Congratulations! You've completed an environmental engineering project! You should be proud of yourself, for whether you're a seventh grader or an adult, these are the skills that are some of the most necessary to learn as the future approaches.
Works Cited:
Image from Wix
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