Community Based Flood Risk Management: Local Knowledge and Actor’s Involvement Approach from Lower Karnali River Basin of Nepal

Connecting to the disaster risk reduction (DRR) studies, community-based initiatives are found to be more effective in both developed and developing countries, with a specific focus on the empowerment of local communities to build resilience. Building on social capital theory, the paper investigates on local knowledge (LK) practices experienced by the actors in an emerging economy using the community-based flood risk management (CB-FRM) approach. The qualitative research method was used by collecting data from focused group discussions, and interviews with the key informants including actors from local governments and non-government organizations. Additionally, informal discussions, field visits, and desk studies were undertaken to support the findings. The findings reveal that the local communities carry out various local knowledge experiences to respond during disaster management phases. They own a creative set of approaches based on the LK and that empowers them to live in the flood-prone areas, accepting the paradigm shift from fighting with floods to living with that. The local actor’s involvement is recognized as an essential component for CB-FRM activities. Yet, their program’s implementation is more oriented towards humanitarian assistance in emergency responses. Even, they often overlook the role of LK. Additionally, the results show a high level of presence of local communities during the preparedness and recovery phases, while NGOs and local governments have a medium role in preparedness and low in recovery phase. The lack of local ownership has also emerged as the major challenge. The research provides valuable insights for integrated CB-FRM policies by adopting to LK practices.

A Systematic Analysis of Systems Approach and Flood Risk Management Research:Trends,Gaps,and Opportunities

Flooding is a global threat,necessitating a comprehensive management approach.Due to the complexity of managing flood hazards and risks,researchers have advocated for holistic,comprehensive,and integrated approaches.This study,employing a systems thinking perspective,assessed global flood risk management research trends,gaps,and opportunities using132 published documents in BibTeX format.A systematic review of downloaded documents from the Scopus and Web of Science databases revealed slow progress of approximately 11.61% annual growth in applying systems thinking and its concomitant approaches to understanding global flood risk management over the past two decades compared to other fields like water resource management and business management systems.A significant gap exists in the application of systems thinking methodologies to flood risk management research between developed and developing countries,particularly in Africa,highlighting the urgency of reoriented research and policy efforts.The application gaps of the study methodology are linked to challenges outlined in existing literature,such as issues related to technical expertise and resource constraints.This study advocates a shift from linear to holistic approaches in flood risk management,aligned with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2023 and the Sustainable Development Goals.Collaboration among researchers,institutions,and countries is essential to address this global challenge effectively.

Barriers to Insurance as a Flood Risk Management Tool:Evidence from a Survey of Property Owners

By using risk-adjusted price signals to transfer responsibility for property-level flood protection and recovery from governments to property owners,flood insurance represents a key tenet of the flood risk management(FRM)paradigm.The Government of Canada has worked with insurers to introduce flood insurance for the first time as a part of a broader shift towards FRM to limit the growing costs of flooding.The viability of flood insurance in Canada,however,has been questioned by research that disputes the utility of purchasing coverage by property owners.This study tested this assumption by drawing on public opinion survey data to assess factors that influence decisions about the utility of insurance.The findings reveal that Canadians have limited knowledge of flood insurance coverage,exhibit a low willingness-to-pay for both insurance and property-level flood protection measures,and expect governments to shoulder much of the financial burden of flood recovery through disaster assistance.

Developing Blue Spots Model for Tennessee Using GIS, and Advanced Data Analytics: Literature Review

Climate change and global warming results in natural hazards, including flash floods. Flash floods can create blue spots;areas where transport networks (roads, tunnels, bridges, passageways) and other engineering structures within them are at flood risk. The economic and social impact of flooding revealed that the damage caused by flash floods leading to blue spots is very high in terms of dollar amount and direct impacts on people’s lives. The impact of flooding within blue spots is either infrastructural or social, affecting lives and properties. Currently, more than 16.1 million properties in the U.S are vulnerable to flooding, and this is projected to increase by 3.2% within the next 30 years. Some models have been developed for flood risks analysis and management including some hydrological models, algorithms and machine learning and geospatial models. The models and methods reviewed are based on location data collection, statistical analysis and computation, and visualization (mapping). This research aims to create blue spots model for the State of Tennessee using ArcGIS visual programming language (model) and data analytics pipeline.

Decision Making for Managing Community Flood Risks:Perspectives of United States Floodplain Managers

To reduce flood losses,floodplain managers make decisions on how to effectively manage their community’s flood risks.While there is a growing body of research that examines how individuals and households make decisions to manage their flood risks,far less attention has been directed at understanding the decision-making processes for flood management at the community level.This study aimed to narrow this research gap by examining floodplain managers’perceptions of the quality of their community’s flood management decision-making processes.Data gathered from interviews with 200 floodplain managers in the United States indicate that most floodplain managers perceive their community’s flood management decision-making processes to be good.The results also indicate that communities participating in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Community Rating System,as well as communities with a higher level of concern for flooding and a lower poverty rate,are significantly more likely to report better flood management decision-making processes.

Barriers and Drivers for Mainstreaming Nature-Based Solutions for Flood Risks: The Case of South Korea

Nature-based solutions(NBS)are seen as a promising adaptation measure that sustainably deals with diverse societal challenges,while simultaneously delivering multiple benefits.Nature-based solutions have been highlighted as a resilient and sustainable means of mitigating floods and other hazards globally.This study examined diverging conceptualizations of NBS,as well as the attitudinal(for example,emotions and beliefs)and contextual(for example,legal and political aspects)barriers and drivers of NBS for flood risks in South Korea.Semistructured interviews were conducted with 11 experts and focused on the topic of flood risk measures and NBS case studies.The analysis found 11 barriers and five drivers in the attitudinal domain,and 13 barriers and two drivers in the contextual domain.Most experts see direct monetary benefits as an important attitudinal factor for the public.Meanwhile,the cost-effectiveness of NBS and their capacity to cope with flood risks were deemed influential factors that could lead decision makers to opt for NBS.Among the contextual factors,insufficient systems to integrate NBS in practice and the ideologicalization of NBS policy were found to be peculiar barriers,which hinder consistent realization of initiatives and a long-term national plan for NBS.Understanding the barriers and drivers related to the mainstreaming of NBS is critical if we are to make the most of such solutions for society and nature.It is also essential that we have a shared definition,expectation,and vision of NBS.

The impact of flooding on Nigeria’s sustainable development goals(SDGs)

Nigeria has Africa’s biggest economy and a population of over 200 million people.Nigeria faces numerous challenges as it struggles to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)with flooding being the most serious with wide-reaching impacts.This paper highlights the impact flooding has on Nigeria reaching SDGs and enumerates the specific SDGs most directly impacted.A systematic literature review provides an overview of the relationship between flooding in Nigeria and the SDGs.It highlights the main causes of Nigeria’s flooding problem are man-made and advocates spatial planning as a suitable Flood Risk Management(FRM)strategy for the Nigerian environment.The paper calls for collaborative action by all concerned stakeholders to address the flooding problem and to help move Nigeria closer to meeting the United Nations(UN)2030 SDGs.Most importantly,the evidence presented in this paper seeks to promote action on a national scale to combat the flooding in Nigeria and help the nation work more effectively toward achieving the SDGs.