Global Hunger Index. The devastating effects of climate shocks are intensifying already-severe food shortages here. Floodbase provides WFP Zimbabwe with emergency maps of forecasted flood events. These support an accurate understanding of the immediate impact of flooding on communities, agriculture and important assets; intelligence proved critical in 2022 during Tropical Storm Ana. During this emergency, the maps shaped WFP Zimbabwe’s first response to major flooding in two vulnerable regions, Chidodo and Mushumbi Pools. Further, they supported vital communications for government decision-makers who urgently needed accurate information on the floods’ impacts and locations. Fathom’s Global Flood Map also helps WFP Zimbabwe understand the country’s risk to infrequent severe flood events. Thanks to the flood intelligence data provided, WFP Zimbabwe has made planning decisions that identify and protect communities most at risk of high- impact floods. Meanwhile, Tajikistan has the highest malnutrition rates in Central Asia. Nearly one third (30.1 percent) of its people are undernourished and it has a long history of severe floods that compound food insecurity. The World Bank reports Tajikistan as the country most vulnerable to climate change in Europe and Central Asia.
The challenge is that utilities and other asset owners work independently, meaning it’s different to model their interdependencies. This was recognised by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and resulted in the creation of CReDo–the Climate Resilience Demonstrator. Originally created by the Centre for Digital Built Britain and now steered by Connected Places Catapult, the aim of the project is to create a digital twin of the UK’s infrastructure networks, across traditional sector boundaries. The project is still in development, though a prototype of the platform was built for East Anglia, thanks to a collaboration between Anglian Water, UK Power Networks, and the BT Group. For this, Fathom provided CReDo with pluvial (rainfall), fluvial (river) and coastal data for the region under a range of climate scenarios for 2030 and 2050, as well as today’s climate state. The prototype can illustrate the potential effects of flooding on assets by predicting: • which sites would be affected by high water levels under different climate scenarios, for the different types of flooding – fluvial, pluvial, and coastal – and across a range of return periods • which assets in the network might fail or suffer as a result of cascading impacts • the resulting economic costs to the providers, and the wider societal impacts and costs. Thanks to the prototype’s success, CReDo is now able to scale up the platform across new regions and partners including the transport sector and local authorities, and for additional climate risks beginning with extreme heat. In summary Reducing uncertainty lies at the heart of appropriate investment into disaster response planning, enabled by high-quality input data. At Fathom, we’re committed to enhancing the quality of this data and the power of processing methods to help communities be better prepared, enjoy improved social and economic outcomes, and have more resources, time, and space to further contribute to tackling their–and our–global challenges. These projects are just a few examples of how actionable flood data can strengthen decisions (by decision-makers including country planners, disaster managers, first responders, and government focal points) on how to protect vulnerable communities from flooding and climate change. What is hopefully clear throughout these examples is not just the value of data, but also the importance of collaboration, with partners coming together to plan and invest in climate change adaptation and resilience matters, together. Peter Slater is part of the engineering team at water risk intelligence firm Fathom. He works closely with engineering and architecture consultancies around the globe, helping to improve their understanding of how flooding interacts with the natural and built environment. With a degree in civil and structural engineering, and a passion for technology, Peter’s particular focus is on integrating flood data into different platforms and digital twins.
Projects in Tajikistan that have benefited from flood data include a disaster management system for the Government of Tajikistan’s Committee of Emergency Situation and Civil Defense. The government and the University of Central Asia have further used Floodbase for country-wide flood-risk planning and infrastructure vulnerability assessments. In addition, flood risk maps have allowed institutional partners to understand downstream flood risks in Dushanbe and surrounding areas. The UK Under climate change, the UK’s critical infrastructure faces greater disruption and costs, as natural disasters such as flooding become more frequent and more severe. When an asset floods, the ensuing disruption is not limited to the network to which the asset belongs. For example, an electricity substation could knock out power for a water treatment plant. And this cascading impact on interconnected asset networks can result in even wider consequences for society and the local economy. To tackle this, providers need to work together on integrated climate change adaptation, mitigation, and resilience measures.
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September 2023 csengineermag.com
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