The urban poor in Dhaka City: their struggles and coping strategies during the floods of 1998

Bangladesh experienced one of the worst floods in recorded history in 1998. This paper focuses on the needs and coping strategies of the urban poor in Dhaka City, which had been very badly affected. The city's roads were completely under water, and most areas were water-logged with drainage and sewage systems blocked. Rising water levels compelled many slum dwellers to move to temporary shelters and relief camps. Women and children were the worst affected. The lack of sanitation facilities and privacy forced women and children to defecate in their own homes. There was an acute scarcity of safe drinking-water, and food prices rose dramatically. Diarrhoea, fever and colds were the most common illnesses affecting the poor. The floods left many of them unemployed, and in some families, the result was increased tension and incidents of domestic violence. In some areas, members felt pressured to repay micro-credit loans. Most NGOs, however, suspended loan repayments. During this period, a committee was set up to co-ordinate and work towards addressing some of the main post-flood problems.     

地震应急避难场所的规划建设与城市防灾

建设应急避难场所是国际社会应对突发性事件的一项灾民安置措施,同时也是现代化大城市用于民众躲避地震、火灾、爆炸、洪水等重大自然灾害的安全避难场所.应急避难场所是预先经科学划定并进行规范化管理,能提供基本生活保障的场所.由于城市应急避难场所的规划建设是一项系统工程,涉及社会的方方面面,本文试图就有关建设应急避难场所的紧迫性、国内外现状、设计规划、技术要求和启动管理作一系统阐述,并以北京市应急避难场所的建设试点作为范例加以介绍.     

Emergency service response and costs in british floods

The costs of emergency response to flood disasters has received little attention. This paper presents and discusses a method for estimating the economic costs incurred through the use of the emergency services during flood events in Britain. First, a model of British emergency service response to flood events is presented. Secondly, cost evaluation principles relevant to each emergency service are discussed. Thirdly, a set of "standard" emergency service cost data are presented - these data are derived from research based upon the model of response and the evaluation principles. Finally, the "standard" data are applied to the case of the York and Selby floods of 1982 where data from research on the reported actions and costs of each emergency service are compared with those predicted through the use of the "standard" data.     

长江流域生态环境对洪涝影响的评价

长江流域的生态环境问题近年来变得越来越严重,其集中表现为：人口急剧增长的情况下,土地资源过度利用和不合理的开发,使生态环境的脆弱性增强,造成生态环境的恶化,结果导致洪水威胁加剧。本文通过对长江流域生态环境问题的分析,提出目前存在的问题是上游森林的过度开发、毁林开荒、陡坡开荒造成水土流失,增加了中下游河湖的泥沙淤积;中下游地区盲目围湖造田,占用行洪洲滩,湿地生态环境遭到破坏,造成水调蓄面积减少。最后就生态环境问题对洪涝的影响进行了评价。     

Vulnerability of schools to floods in Nyando River catchment,Kenya

This paper assesses the vulnerability of schools to floods in the Nyando River catchment (3,600 km²) in western Kenya and identifies measures needed to reduce this vulnerability. It surveys 130 schools in the lower reaches, where flooding is a recurrent phenomenon. Of the primary schools assessed, 40% were vulnerable, 48% were marginally vulnerable and 12% were not vulnerable. Of the secondary schools, 8% were vulnerable, 73% were marginally vulnerable and 19% were not vulnerable. Vulnerability to floods is due to a lack of funds, poor building standards, local topography, soil types and inadequate drainage. The Constituencies Development Fund (CDF), established in 2003, provides financial support to cover school construction and reconstruction costs; CDF Committees are expected to adopt school building standards. In an effort to promote safe and resilient construction and retrofitting to withstand floods, this paper presents vulnerability reduction strategies and recommendations for incorporating minimum standards in the on‐going Primary School Infrastructure Programme Design.     

The 1934 floods in Tabriz, N. W. Iran

The disastrous floods of July 1934 in Tabriz are examined in the context of the history of floodinginthe city, which is crossed by a dry stream bed liable to sudden Inundation by mountain torrents from the southeast. Few details of past events have survived, suggesting that relatively little significance has been attached to them. Typically, flood dykes were inadequately maintained. This neglect, combined with a radical alteration in urban topography after 1925, when broad straight avenues were constructed through the old heart of the city, led to serious losses from flooding twice in 1929 and again in 1934. Enhanced perception of the flood risk finally found expression in the adoption of large scale engineering measures to mitigate future events, including strengthening protective dykes and widening the river channel through the city. These works have reduced vulnerability to flooding from river overflow. No long-term detrimental Impact of the 1934 flood has been observed. Some of the physical and social parameters that have influenced the vulnerability of Tabrizinthe past continue to be present both there and elsewhere in Iran, and they may be characteristic also of other regions with comparable natural environments or in a similar stage of socio-economic development.     

Planning for chemical disasters in Greece

A mathematical model named DISASTER was applied in the Thessaloniki area for the assessment of potential hazards resulting from major accidents in local chemical industries. Some of these hazards are too severe to ignore and immediate measures are therefore required. Such measures need to comply with the EEC Directive 82/501/EEC on major accidents. The implementation of the Directive by the Greek authorities is examined and discussed.     

江苏省典型年梅雨洪涝灾害对比分析

梅雨期降水形成的洪涝和枯梅年产生的干旱是江苏省主要的气象灾害.为了能客观地划分各年梅雨的旱涝等级,从而为防灾减灾决策提供依据,利用江苏省近50年来的梅雨资料,考虑梅期持时长短、梅期平均日雨量及暴雨日数等3个因子,给出了梅雨强度计算模型及梅期旱涝指标,较好地反映了江苏省每年各地的梅期旱涝状况.结合实际灾情,确定了典型梅雨洪涝年的标准.针对1954,1991和2003年3个比较典型的梅雨洪涝年,进行了详细的比较分析,结果表明:(1)长江及淮河流域上游的客水、入梅之前的降水量和梅期降水会直接影响该省梅雨期的洪涝灾情;(2)1991年的洪涝是历年来最为严重的,1954年的洪涝稍重于2003年;(3)3个典型梅雨洪涝年中全省最涝的地区都位于沿淮地区或江淮之间地区的北部,淮北地区这3年中都出现了较重的涝灾,淮北南部的灾情重于北部.     

Crop adaptation processes to extreme floods in Bangladesh: a case study

This paper investigates farmers’ crop adaptation processes in response to three recent devastating floods in Islampur, a case-study area in rural Bangladesh. The paper reports a multi-method research project which comprised a questionnaire survey, focus-group discussions and interviews with agricultural block supervisors. The author analyses three recent severe floods in Bangladesh, occurring in 1988, 1995 and 1998, and reviews the adaptation techniques and strategies embraced by the same group of farmers in order to survive the more devastating inundations that occur from time to time. The study concluded that vulnerable farmers are highly resilient and, with appropriate support, their adjustments can be sustainable. This enquiry showed that in the face of climate change both the inclusion of autonomous adaptations into planning and policy-making and the enhancement and support of community-based adaptation can be effective in ensuring the survival of riverine farming systems. This case study can be considered as a key reference case in regard to vulnerable locations in the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna mega-delta basin, particularly in respect to Bangladesh.     

20世纪长江的3次巨洪

分析了形成20世纪长江3次巨洪的3个遥相关因子：（1）太阳黑子活动;（2）厄尔尼诺事件,（3）青藏高原南部大震。依据长江巨洪和遥相关因子的基本事实,讨论了长江发生巨洪的统计规律。指出当3个因子的出现时间互相重叠时,长江很可能发生巨洪,这对长江巨洪的超长期预测具有重要的指导作用。     

城市灾害对城市土地利用的影响

随着城市的不断扩张，对城市土地利用的需求量也在不断增加。地震、火灾、风灾、地质破坏是现代城市的主要灾害，城市灾害在一定程度上制约着土地利用的类型。充分运用GIS的空间分析功能，研究了城市灾害对城市土地利用的影响，所得结果可为城市土地利用规划提供辅助决策参考。     

城市火灾风险评价的指标体系设计

在对火灾危险和火灾风险两个概念进行定义的基础上,运用德尔非（Ｄｅｌｐｈｉ）专家调查法和层次分析法,提出了城市火灾危险指数,城市火灾抗灾指数,城市火灾风险指数的概念,设计了一套指标科学,内涵明晰、操作性强,定量和定性相结合的城市火灾风险评价指标体系。     

城市土地工程能力评价的GIS方法

城市土地工程能力评价是城市进行合理规划,保持城市可持续发展的一项重要内容。本文以大庆市城区为例,分析了城市工程地质的特征,建立了城市工程地质信息系统,实现了工程地质空间特征的管理,分析及操作。通过Ｂａｙｅｓ决策方法,研究了空间地质特征的相关性,提出了用地理信息系统（ＧＩＳ）进行土地工程能力评价的方法,该方法能提高城市工程地质信息管理的层次,有助于城市土地工程能力评价工作方法的规范化和程序化。     

Effects of floods on the use and condition of pit latrines in rural bangladesh

The severe floods of 1987 in Bangladesh had devastating effects on many development activities. Here, the use and condition of improved sanitation facilities (double pit water sealed latrines) during the 1987 peak flood period are presented. Two surveys on the use and condition of the latrines were carried out in May (pre-flood) and September (post-flood) 1987 in a rural area 60 km north of Dhaka, with a population of about 4500. General usage of the latrines by the population aged five years or more decreased from 88% to 78% ( p < 0.001) after the flood. Only 40% of the 343 latrines which were in use and had no damaged component at the time of the pre-flood survey still had no damaged components after the floods. Fencing was the component which suffered the most damage. It was the only component which was installed and maintained by the users, project staff being responsible for all other components. The estimated post-flood repair cost was approximately US $4.0 per latrine. Development of an affordable and durable fencing is recommended.     

城市热岛研究方法概述

论述了国内外有关城市热岛效应的研究方法,包括传统的气象观测法、基于遥感技术的定量反演法和基于边界层模型的模拟计算法,分析了各种研究方法的进展和优缺点,供城市热岛效应研究方法创新参考。