Abstract:
Flood risk has become a significant issue particularly in urban regions of Asia. Climate change
will intensify existing flood vulnerability and further strengthen it due to socio-economic
inequalities. A new set of problems are created by the traditional decision-making of flood
management in the face of climate change and rapid urban development. The concept of the
socio-ecological system suggests that resilience is the key to managing complex systems and
reducing flood vulnerability. In addition, recognizing the significance of nonlinear and nonstationary
interactions
of
flood
risk
in
decision
making
has
highlighted
the
transition
of
flood
management
towards Flood Risk Management (FRM). Acknowledging the uncertainty
associated with flood risk has become a key aspect in decision-making. Decision-makers agree
on the need for adaptive and integrated policies and strategies of FRM rather than modifying
the flood and making it easier to cope with by eliminating the highest probability of floods.
Flood resilience embeds the incorporation of spatially distributed land-use policies, strategies,
and guidelines which are a must for the management of flood vulnerability. As a result, the
characterization, assessment, and management of flood risk were subjected to a critical review
during the past years. Risk-based flood management is yet in its early period of development.
Though the theory has advanced over the years, there still are visible shortcomings in the
operationalization of the concepts and methods, mainly due to the lack of a framework for
clear recognition and understanding of the components of the FRM system.
The FRM and spatial planning domains have developed their knowledge bases separately over
a long period. Recently, FRM and spatial planning have begun to share a similar perspective
in the decision-making process. The role of spatial planning as an integrated planning tool has
been emphasized in the decision-making of flood risk management. It is largely evident that
as at present, the role of spatial planning in flood risk management remains inadequate mainly
because of the absence of a common framework for stakeholders’ integration. The main
objective of this research is to identify the complete FRM system and its components with
recommendations for its operationalization. This research has developed a solution model to
structure the complexity of the planning process of FRM. The criteria and sub-criteria of the
conceptual framework of the decision model have been identified based on the systematic
literature review. Further, the criteria and sub-criteria of the conceptual framework have been
selected and prioritized using the Delphi technique and Analytical Hierarchical Process
(AHP). Forty-two experts have participated in this research and the established framework
has been validated using a case study. Panadura urban area which is located in the coastal wet
zone and Colombo Metropolitan Region has been selected as the case study area for
application of the framework. This research has established a methodological framework for
the operationalization of FRM. The main criteria which determine the practicing of FRM are
the conceptualization of flood risk in the planning process, assessment of flood risk in the
planning process, as well as the discourse of the governance structure, and the available
participatory tools in the context. This study has identified and prioritized sixteen sub-criteria
to manage the uncertainty in the planning process. The established framework can be used to
identify the strengths and the weaknesses of the planning process in a given context and to
guide the planning process to operate risk-based flood management objectives, strategies, and
guidelines. The established framework can be used to evaluate the alternative options of flood
risk management for achieving flood resilience. The case study has revealed that the existing
decision-making process of FRM does not recognize the complex interdependencies between
flood risk, spatial form, and spatial planning. As a result, the current practices of FRM are
unable to achieve flood resilience. Therefore, this research recommends the integration of
FRM with spatial planning. The developed framework is more sensitive to the governance
structure of the context, therefore more case studies are needed to conduct in different
governance contexts for further refine
Citation:
Herath, H.M.M. (2021). Management of flood risk with spatial planning [Doctoral dissertation, University of Moratuwa]. Institutional Repository University of Moratuwa. http://dl.lib.uom.lk/handle/123/21183