Workshop: Managing Urban Floods in light of weather uncertainties and climate change

Posted by Olivia on June 25, 2012 · Leave a Comment 

PUB, NUS and the Singapore Delft Water Alliance have organised a workshop for this Sunday looking at managing urban floods in relation to changing weather patterns and climate change. Details below.

Managing Urban Floods in light of weather uncertainties and climate change

Date : 01st July 2012, Sunday  Venue : Sands Expo and Convention Center, Marina Bay Sands, Room 3211  Organizer : Singapore-Delft Water Alliance (National University of Singapore) and Public Utilities Board (PUB)  Who should attend : Government officials, policy makers, researchers, practitioners, technologists, leaders from private sector etc.

Short Description:Besides climate change, rapid urbanization is also impacting the hydrological cycle and has caused an increase in surface water run-off in urban areas and cities. Global climate change and rapid urbanization have posed challenges to Governments, policy makers and technologists all the around the world and more integrated solutions are now required to address the increasing flood risks and their impacts, reduce the cities’ vulnerability to floods, and safeguard the lives and properties of their citizens, as well as the cities’ infrastructure. This is especially so for cities located within the low lying river basins, coastal areas and those susceptible to tropical monsoons and hurricanes. A new paradigm in urban drainage design requires a combination of a wide range of flood mitigation measures to be applied at the source, pathways and receptors of the storm water run-off to mitigate flood risks. Where possible, these will have to be implemented holistically in tandem with the other planning considerations so as to optimise limited resources and ensure cost effectiveness within a specified risk-based approach. These initiatives will have to be supported with good dynamic flood modelling and monitoring through the use of hydro-meteorological information so as to anticipate potential flooding and counteract the effects by putting up temporary flood protection measures or evacuate out of vulnerable areas. In this workshop, a distinguished panel of experts who are involved in providing integrated drainage solutions for urban storm water management and flood risk management in various countries will share their views on these challenges in large river systems, challenges in urban settings, and offer insights on innovative solutions and benefits drawn from different case studies and personal experiences. Program: The workshop will be divided in two main parts concerning the management of large river systems (14.05 – 15.05), and urban systems and technologies (15.30 – 16.30). The presentations will be followed by a closing pannel discussion (16.30 – 17.00). 14.00 – 14.05 Workshop opening 14.05 – 14.25 Mississippi river system - Dr. K. Graham, Deputy Director of Planning and Programs, Office of the Governor – Coastal Activities, State of Louisiana (US) 14.25 – 14.45 Senegal river system - Mr. Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug, High Commissioner of the Senegal River Development Organization (Senegal) 14.45 – 15.05 China experiences - Mr. Qian Min, Director of the Huaihe River Commission, Ministry of the Water Resources (China) 15.05 – 15.30 Coffee break 15.20 – 15.50 Bangkok system - Prof. B. Vardhanabhuti, Kasetsart University – member of the Flood Relief Operation Center (Thailand) 15.50 – 16.10 The Netherlands - Prof. N. van de Giesen, Chair of Water Resources Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands) 16.10 – 16.30 Next Generation Infrastructures - Prof. V. Babovic, Head of the Singapore-Delft Water Alliance, National University of Singapore (Singapore) 16.30 – 17.00 Panel discussion

The Workshop is FREE OF CHARGE. For registration: Dr. Stefano Galelli (Email: sdwgs@nus.edu.sg  / Dr. Jolivet Samuel Marc Pascal(Email: sdwjsmp@nus.edu.sg)  Further information: Visit www.sdwa.nus.edu.sg or www.siww.com.sg

Image taken from Hannaford

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Filed under Blog · Tagged with Climate Change, flooding, floods, NUS, PUB, Singapore, Singapore Delft Water Alliance, urban, weather, workshop