Study on Non-engineering Countermeasures of Meteorological Disaster Prevention in Large Cities

For the main meteorological disasters and their characteristics in big cities of China,from city planning,laws and regulations,disaster management,contingency plan implementation,monitoring and early warning,information spreading,disaster insurance,science propaganda and so on,we put forward the suggestion of strengthening non-engineering countermeasures of meteorological disaster prevention in large cities of China,providing decision-making reference for urban disaster prevention and mitigation.

Comprehensive Control of Ecological Environment in Water Sources

To scientifically and effectively conduct comprehensive control of water sources to achieve water safety,the importance,main steps and plan of comprehensive control of ecological environment in water sources were analyzed on the basis of analyzing the development and protection process of foreign water sources.The results show that for the comprehensive control of water sources,it is needed to pay attention to the accurate grasp of the current environmental quality of water sources and carefully analyze the problems in the ecological environment of water sources.Besides,it is necessary to ensure the water quality and quantity of sources,focus on the implementation of environmental remediation and ecological restoration,implement regional protection of water sources,and combine engineering and non-engineering measures to take comprehensive control of environmental problems.

CAUSES AND CONTROL COUNTERMEASURES OF EUTROPHICATION IN CHAOHU LAKE, CHINA

Chaohu Lake, located in the central Anhui Province, is one of the five largest fresh lakes in China. Now it is one of the three most eutrophication lakes in China. The deterioration of its water quality has influenced the sustainable development of society, economy and environment of Hefei City, the capital of Anhui Province. A series of measures have been carried out to control its eutrophication, but it is still serious. On the basis of the lake water quality data from 1984 to 2003, the causes of the eutrophication of Chaohu Lake are analyzed. Studies indicated that the suitable natural conditions and human activities played a crucial role in the process of the eutrophication of Chaohu Lake. A great amount of industrial, agricultural and domestic sewage discharged into the lake is the main cause of eutrophication in the lake. Land use, soil erosion and shoreline collapse destroyed the watershed eco-environment and the terrestrial ecosystem of Chaohu Lake. And the building of Yuxi Gate extends the sluggish of the nutritious substance and speeds up the process of the eutrophication. From the view of systematic engineering and watershed ecology, a series of the countermeasures have been put forward to control the eutrophication.

Seismic fragility assessment of existing sub-standard low strength reinforced concrete structures

An analytical seismic fragility assessment framework is presented for the existing low strength reinforced concrete structures more common in the building stock of the developing countries.For realistic modelling of such substandard structures,low strength concrete stress-strain and bond-slip capacity models are included in calibrating material models.Key capacity parameters are generated stochastically to produce building population and cyclic pushover analysis is carried out to capture inelastic behaviour.Secant period values are evaluated corresponding to each displacement step on the capacity curves and used as seismic demand.A modified capacity demand diagram method is adopted for the degrading structures,which is further used to evaluate peak ground acceleration from back analysis considering each point on the capacity curve as performance point.For developing fragility curves,the mean values of peak ground acceleration are evaluated corresponding to each performance point on the series of capacity curves.A suitable probability distribution function is adopted for the secant period scatter at different mean peak ground acceleration values and probability of exceedance of limit states is evaluated.A suitable regression function is used for developing fragility curves and regression coefficients are proposed for different confidence levels.Fragility curves are presented for a low rise pre-seismic code reinforced concrete structure typical of developing countries.

A new era of flood control strategies from the perspective of managing the 2020 Yangtze River flood

Flood control of the Yangtze River is an important part of China’s national water security.In July 2020,due to continuous heavy rainfall,the water levels along the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River and major lakes constantly exceeded the warning levels,in which Taihu Lake exceeded its highest safety water level and some stations of Poyang Lake reached their highest water levels in its history.In August 2020,another huge flood occurred in the Minjiang River and the Jialing River in the upper Yangtze River,and some areas of Chongqing Municipality and other cities along the rivers were inundated,resulting in great pressure on flood control and high disaster losses.The 2020 Yangtze River flood has received extensive media coverage and raised concerns on the roles of the Three Gorges Dam and other large reservoirs in flood control.Here we analyze the changes in the pattern of the Yangtze River flood control by comparing the strategies to tackle the three heavy floods occurring in 1954,1998,and 2020.We propose that the overall strategy of the Yangtze River flood control in the new era should adhere to the principle of"Integration of storage and drainage over the entire Yangtze River Basin,with draining floods downstream as the first priority"by using both engineering and non-engineering measures.On the basis of embankments,the engineering measures should use the Three Gorges Dam and other large reservoirs as the major regulatory means,promote the construction of key flood detention areas,keep the floodways clear,and maintain the ecosystem services of wetlands and shoals.In terms of non-engineering measures,we should strengthen adaptive flood risk management under climate change,standardize the use of lands in flood detention areas,give space to floods,and promote the implementation of flood risk maps and flood insurance policies.The ultimate goal of this new flood control system is to enhance the adaptability to frequent floods and increase the resilience to extreme flood disasters.