START OF INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY ON SMART FLOOD CONTROL
NEWS
A succesful discussion session at the Amsterdam International Water Week marks the start of an international community on Smart Flood Control. Over 20 water professionals from over 10 nations discussed the resemblances and differences between different deltas across the globe. The session will have a follow-up at the FLOODrisk 2012 conference.
After an introduction by Piet Dircke about Dutch efforts in creating smart flood control solutions, two representatives of deltas gave a keynote lecture on their nation's challenges and efforts in flood control. Ms. Paula Vilela discussed the large challenges in Sao Paolo, Brazil where flood risks are combined with landslide hazards. Mr. Ho Long Phi discussed the challenges in Ho Chi Minh City and the efforts of employing spatial planning in mitigating flood risk.
The community came alive in the second part of the session. The Flood Control 2015 programme is working on creating a Maturity Model for flood protection. The model is intended to facilitate discussion about the current status of flood control measures and the strategy to improve upon this. The participants were divided into two groups, trying to use the model for discussion about flood control in their continent.
The discussion brought to light two aspects: for one, a discussion guide such as a maturity model is a promosing product to develop. But second and more importantly, there is a clear demand for opportunities to discuss different topics with representatives from different delta's. As far as we are concerned, this session formed the start of a vibrating international community on smart flood control.
Discussion will continue on the Flood Control 2015 LinkedIn Group. Please join us there!