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Settlements close to rivers, the sea, and hills are among those most vulnerable to floods. The hilly terrain region experiences higher rainfall than the lowlands due to the orographic effect. As a result, excessive rains feeding major rivers cause a rapid rise in water level resulting in frequent breaks of the riverbanks. The flood hence covers the inhabited lowlands with water and silt, causing loss of lives and properties. The affected communities need practical coping alternatives to deal with the intensity and the increasing exposure to floods. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG6) identify the sustainable management of water and sanitation as one of their key objectives. This study identifies resilience in practice focusing on how communities create resilience and develop sustainable river catchment management. A qualitative method was used, involving observations, interviews, and community surveys with one of the most flood-prone populations, the New Zealand Northland community. A desktop study containing government publications and flood records compliments the thematic analysis result and strengthens the discussions. Social connections, participation in self-protection training, and maintaining the catchment were among the main findings of the study. This study recommends for community-led response plans integrated with infrastructure improvements and collaboration with councils to reduce the risk of future floods.

Flooding events in the Lower Benue valley of Nigeria are often associated with huge damage to properties and loss of life in the adjoining communities. Specific objectives of this study were to (i) examine the characteristics of rainfall and discharge at the major river in the study area—Benue trough of Nigeria; (ii) assess the occurrence of extreme rainfall conditions and other flood-triggering/exacerbating factors; and (iii) determine flood damage extent and available warning system in the area. Specific reference was made to the 2017 flood event in the area. Method used was an integrated environmental approach that combines analysis of rainfall and discharge data with social surveys, remote sensing and geographical information system. Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), Precipitation Concentration Index (PCI) as well as flood damage curves were analysed with land use/cover change and soil data to establish the nature of the flood and its impacts. Result showed that rainfall has increased in the study area in October–December and February (b ≤ 0.13) but has decreased in the other months, albeit insignificantly (R2 < 0.5). Rainfall–runoff relationship at the gauge station was weak (b = 16.67, R2 = 0.21), and indicates the influence of antecedent soil moisture content at the gauge station, while the well-drained nature of the soil, its sedimentary geology and land use/cover analysis would indicate the dominance of infiltration-excess flow. The results of the SPI and PCI, which categorized the study area as largely wet during the study period (13.5% of the years classified as extremely wet and 54.1% wet), as well as high record of consecutive rain days revealed the vulnerability of the area to flood hazards in the wet months. Eighty-five per cent of the vulnerable residents are considerably poor, earning an equivalent of US $4.3 daily, and live in non-reinforced concrete masonry (64%) and wooden buildings (24%). The study recommends extensive flood control policy for the area and similar flood-prone communities.

This book deals with the evolution and context of the Bank policy for projects on international waterways. It starts with a brief description of how the Bank faced the challenges stemming from such projects, and the different approaches deliberated by the Bank that led to the issuance of the first policy in 1956. The Book then reviews the implementation experience and analyzes the principles and procedures, as well as the main features of each of the policies issued in 1956, 1965 and 1985. The principles of international water law prevailing at each stage of the policy updates are examined and compared with those of Bank policy.The book also discusses in details the notification process: its basis, by whom, to whom, its content, different riparians’ responses, and the exceptions to the notification requirement. It analyzes how the Bank handles an objection from one or more of the riparians to projects proposed for Bank financing. It also examines how the Bank has dealt with transboundary groundwater, as well as the linkages between the policy for projects on international waterways and the policies on disputed areas and environmental impact assessment. The conclusion provides an overview of the main findings of the book, and highlights some of the lessons drawn from the implementation experience of the policy.

Climate change and sea level rise have increased the frequency and severity of flooding events in coastal communities. This study quantifies transportation impacts of recurring flooding using crowdsourced traffic and flood incident data. Agency-provided continuous count station traffic volume data at 12 locations is supplemented by crowd-sourced traffic data from location-based apps in Norfolk, Virginia, to assess the impacts of recurrent flooding on traffic flow. A random forest data predictive model utilizing roadway features, traffic flow characteristics, and hydrological data as inputs scales the spatial extent of traffic volume data from 12 to 7736 roadway segments. Modeling results suggest that between January 2017 and August 2018, City of Norfolk reported flood events reduced 24 h citywide vehicle-hours of travel (VHT) by 3%, on average. To examine the temporal and spatial variation of impacts, crowdsourced flood incident reports collected by navigation app Waze between August 2017 and August 2018 were also analyzed. Modeling results at the local scale show that on weekday afternoon and evening periods, flood-impacted areas experience a statistically significant 7% reduction in VHT and 12% reduction in vehicle-miles traveled, on average. These impacts vary across roadway types, with substantial decline in traffic volumes on freeways, while principal arterials experience increased traffic volumes during flood periods. Results suggest that analyzing recurring flooding at the local scale is more prudent as the impact is temporally and spatially heterogeneous. Furthermore, countermeasures to mitigate impacts require a dynamic strategy that can adapt to conditions across various time periods and at specific locations.