Author(s): Henry Jimenez E.
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Floods prevention; Urban planning; Disasters prevention; Cities natural risks; Colombian floods; Hazards; Vulnerability
Abstract: In order to declare new lands for urbanization in the Valle del Cauca Department at the west of Colombia, a study was carried on for several municipalities. The study began assembling previous natural disasters historical information originated by floods; by visiting the territory and meeting with local representatives, leaders and social organizations. Topographic and landscape features for the flood plains and sloping lands were measured; also, the bathymetry was done in rivers, creeks and channels; as well river ’s bed material characteristics. Land-use changes and dynamics and soil physical, geotechnical characteristics, infiltration capacity and hydraulic conductivity, were evaluated too. For each watershed, the meteorological and hydrological characteristics were studied and its variation in time and space. Hydrological and hydraulics mathematical models were used in order to evaluate rivers and watershed responses to several scenarios with regard to changes in land use and climate change. Applying some methodologies according to the intensity and frequency of floods, risk's maps were obtained for each town and surrounding area; each map included four flood risk levels: none, low, medium and high. Flooded area maps, allows determining the affected housing projects, industries, social facilities and infrastructure of the neighborhood, for different events' occurrence probability. It was conducted a survey to the families that live within the flooding occurrence risk area, in order to know their composition, activities, occupation, education level and housing construction quality. Analyzing the effects of each event, to the population and infrastructure, the vulnerability maps were obtained for each community. According to the simulation process results, those obtained flooded areas; match with those previous reported flooded areas, giving a good confidence degree, to establish prevention and mitiga tion politics. The study establishes different flooded areas that affected already inhabited lands, infrastructure, industries and other uses; giving the opportunity to relocate construction projects or to define mitigation programs, also after the study´s results were recommended the suitable areas for the development of new housing programs, industries, recreation facility’s location or for environmental services. By the other hand, emerge as a need to organize education campaigns, to increase public awar eness of the community members, industries and society, around the disaster prevention programs a cause flood and for other natural origin disasters.
Year: 2013