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Integrated Flood Management: abetter vision to mitigate damagescaused by floodingFloods account for approximately one third ofthe financial loss and one half of the loss of lifecaused by global natural disasters. Damagesdue to flooding have been extremely severe inrecent decades and it is evident that theirintensity and frequency are increasing.Economic losses have accounted for more than250 billion US Dollars over the last ten years.Despite efforts to reduce losses, studies showthat the extent of flooded areas is increasing withtime and the magnitude of the associatedfinancial losses increases similarly.Integrated Flood Management (IFM) is “aprocess that promotes an integrated approach,not fragmented, in terms of flood management.It integrates the development of land and waterresources of a river basin in the Integrated WaterResources Management (IWRM) context. Itsobjective is to maximize the net benefits of thefloodplains and to reduce to a minimum thenumber of fatalities caused by floods” WMO(2004).

Creating an integrated flood management planrequires the following essential elements to betaken into consideration:Adoption of the Basin as a Planning Unit(Water Cycle Management as a whole, andIntegrated Land Water Management): landand water management; local measures and atthe basin level; top-down and bottom -updecision making; functional integration of institu-tions; and cross-border management.

Adoption of an optimal combination ofstrategies: Adequate combination of non-structural works and measures, taking into

consideration the technical, economic, social,environmental and legal dimensions.

Guarantee of a participative approach: Ensure the implementation of integral floodmanagement planning with full public support.Ensure the sustainability of associated planningand decisions. Build a consensus and publicsupport for the management of selected floods.Build a commitment with those involved.

Integrated Risk Management: Preparedness;response; recovery.

Difficulties faced for the efficientimplementation of the IFM policy There is a growing scientific, technical andpolitical bibliography regarding this issue. Wepose the question “Why is it so difficult to goone step further and move from theory to imple-mentation when the theory and basic conceptsare apparently widely known and accepted?”

Serious difficulties to prevent or limitthe improper occupation of floodingzonesWhen valleys are frequently covered by flood

water, public awareness is high that thosevalleys are flood zones and that occupation forpermanent activities is not appropriate. However,when flooding is less frequent, public awarenessof flooding is lessened, or is simply ignored, andland occupation and residential development infloodplains takes place, (Paoli, 2015).

As a consequence, large numbers of people(not only in big cities) live very close to rivers andstreams and - as a result of urban develop-ment - the invasion of flooding valleys increases.Lack of studies for the delineation of risk areas,the absence of regulations in land use, andmany times the irresponsibility of urban devel-opers and municipal governments results in theoccupation of flood-prone areas. Unfailingly,these zones are bound to be impacted byextraordinary floods.

Misunderstanding of the functionalityof defence projects and level ofsecurity Traditional solutions are part of the developmentof the defence against different types of floodsthat represent various problems. The defencemechanisms create an exaggerated sense of

INTEGRATED FLOOD MANAGEMENT:IS THE NEXT STEP POSSIBLE?BY CARLOS U. PAOLI

Latin America’s financial losses due to flooding increase constantly. While the high frequency ofextreme events gives a glimpse in the risk increase, it is the understanding of the increase invulnerability which is most important. Integrated Flood Management is presented as a new visionin the effort to confront this challenge, but it also involves a series of difficulties, restrictions, andconditions for its efficient implementation. Different obstacles must be removed in order to advancetowards implementation.

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Figure 1. Flooding areas around/environs Santa Fe city during year 2003

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to the fear of losing comparative advantages inthe new location, or due to the cost they wouldincur directly or indirectly. Nevertheless, thismeasure must be considered along with theregulation of floodplain use.

The use of land regulations in urban zonesrefers to a series of actions whose objective isto guide the occupation of spaces in zones notyet urbanized, or re-orient those in the processof occupying floodplains. The following specificactions are mentioned in this context:• The implementation of public policies that donot favour, or limit public services and infras-tructure development in floodplain zones suchas: paving, energy supply, drinking water andsanitation, educational and health services, etc.The tendency of authorities seems to be in theopposite direction given that as landoccupants’ complaints arise, services areprovided and settlements take place.

• The display of warning signs that identifyflood prone areas and markings showing thehistorical range of floodplains. This measureis resisted by real estate interests.

• The utilization of differential real estate taxrates, very low for non-urbanized zones andvery high for urbanized zones in floodplainareas. Urban planners and the Income TaxOffice show resistance to this type ofmeasures.

• The acquisition of land for parks, campingand other outdoor places. This actionrequires significant funds for acquisition andmaintenance.

Non integration of alert andprevention systemsAn Alert and Prevention System takes intoaccount not only the prediction of river flowsand expected levels, but also the availability ofContingency Plans in case a flood occurs.Actions range from identifying the first signal ofconditions that would produce an overflow andcause flooding to going through the warning ofpredicted levels and evacuation. Actions wouldalso cover the location and maintenance offlood defences and the maintenance actionsand repairs for emergency works, known asfight against flooding.

In order to provide effective Contingency Plansmany issues of vital importance must beaddressed the most relevant of which are:• Developing and implementing the legalframework that establishes responsibilities,roles and institutional relationships of

municipal, provincial and national organisa-tions, directly and indirectly related to theissue of flooding.

•Developing an adequate delimitation of riskareas and a current inventory of the flood-plains allowing the forecast of overflowingwater levels and critical zoning in relation tosuch forecast.

•Developing emergency plans and evacuationwith the participation of the affected people asthe only way to ensure their effectiveness.

Lack of knowledge and distrust inother adaptation measuresThe concept of these measures is to modify thestructures in risk areas, their surroundings ortheir layout in order to minimize water damage.Also, the purpose of daptation measures is toallow the continuation of normal activities in thearea with the least possible disruption duringflooding and to allow a quick recovery. Amongother concrete actions that could be mentionedare the following:• Raising the level of buildings by raising theground elevation or by using construction onpillars.

• Waterproofing of retaining walls.•Enclosing low-lying doors and windows withprotective masonry.

• Placing critical elements of structures, such aslighting, gas, other facilities, etc., well over theforeseen flooding level.

• Construction with a floating capability in theflood zone.

These measures require professional planningand must not be improvised, as improper use

safety. Human settlements in protected zonesincrease and, therefore, damages are greaterwhen the safety net fails. Maintenance andconservation of the projects is not properlyimplemented (highly expensive), which resultsin erosion problems and weaker protection. Inthe majority of these zones, the challenge oftransporting, discharging and pumping of flood-waters has not been properly resolved.

All projects for control and protection againstflooding are designed and built to withstandflooding of a certain magnitude associated witha probability of occurrence. No project cancontrol or protect against the greatest possibleflooding and, as a consequence, there is nozone absolutely safe or flood zone that “willnever be flooded again”. Pretending that someprojects are designed to eliminate the flood riskin these zones does not make economic sense.The higher or lower level of acceptable safetydepends on the expected consequences - incase the flood defence is exceeded - assumedby the project. Unfortunately, this issue is notproperly understood by the public or, often-times, by the authorities. The result is pressurethat constantly increases for more and betterprojects.

A well-developed project must have a sufficientmargin of safety in order to avoid unforeseensituations. Unfortunately, many projects areneither well studied, nor well dimensioned and,therefore, their degree of vulnerability varies. Inthe majority of the cases, catastrophic impactassessments have not been performed for thescenario that the defence works are overtoppedor destroyed. Often, the operational plan for theprojects’ system includes permanentmonitoring. Maintenance of main and comple-mentary works and structures and an actionplan for emergency situations is often non-existent and not in place.The higher frequency of extreme flooding andexceptionally heavy rains are certainly concretedrivers in the increase of flooding. But, thesefactors in no way can be thought of as unpre-dictable.

Resistance to the implementation ofnon- structural measures and theregulation of land useRelocation, although difficult to implement, is insome cases the only option available andconsists of relocating the activities developed ina high risk area and its occupants to a low riskarea. Frequently, this option is rejected andopposed by the occupants to be relocated due

IAHR

Carlos Ubaldo Paoli isDirector of the CoastalRegional Center at theNational Water Institute(INA) in Argentina. He isFaculty Professor forGraduates and Post-

Doctorates in Hydrology and Faculty ofEngineering and Water Science at theUniversidad Nacional del Litoral. Dr. Paolihas participated and directed many projectsand research focused on Planning andManagement of Water Resources andHydraulic Engineering. Since 2008, heparticipates as an instructor for IntegratedFlood Management according to the APFMformats and sponsored by WMO. Recently,the European Commission has published aguide and a case study regarding IntegratedFlood Management, which he authored.

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could cause more severe damage, or affectother neighbouring occupants. These measuresare only recommended for the flooding areaswith low currents, outside the flood evacuationchannel.

Lack of Inter-jurisdictional,Institutional and Sectorial co-ordinationSeveral major issues are at play relative to thecompatibility of all territorial interests at stake.For instance, questions like how are the respon-sibilities shared for flood zone planning? Who isresponsible for decision making? How is fundingsourced and distributed? As shown next, solvingthe current problems of flooding could becompared to the process of solving a puzzle.

THE CASE OF SANTA FE, ARGENTINASanta Fe has a population of 500,000 peopleand is located in the central zone of Argentina atthe confluence of two important river systems.Santa Fe is on the right margin of the ParanaRiver (mean flow of 17,000 m3/s and a maximumoverflow of 62,000m3/s) and on the left margin ofthe Salado River (mean flow of 180 m3/s and amaximum overflow of 4,000 m3/s). In 1983, 1992and 1998 the River Parana overflowed. TheSalado River experienced heavy rainfall in 2003

and in 2007. The floods had catastrophicconsequences in all cases: fatalities, massiveevacuations and huge economic losses, with astrong social and psychological impact.

The main causes for the catastrophic effect ofthe floods were: deficiencies and limitations ofexisting works, lack of knowledge and foresight,and climate change as an importantcontributing factor. Furthermore, the vulnerabilityof Santa Fe increases because of critical riskfactors, such as the absence of an alert systemand the lack of a contingency plan.

After the experience of these critical situations, aparadigm change occurred and a movementtowards Integrated Flood Management started.With its ups and downs, the performance andresponse to other situations presented subse-quently have improved significantly. In summary,the most important non-structural actions put inplace during the implementation of theIntegrated Flood Management process are:

The response of academiaFor the first time a group was formed by theregion’s universities and organisations ofScience and Technology named Programa deCooperación Interinstitucional Frente a la

Emergencia (PROCIFE), (Inter-institutionalCollaborative Program in Response to theEmergency). As a starting point, diverseassessments were made in the aftermath of thefloods. Conferences and seminars referencingthe subject matter with wide participation fromthe science and technology communities wereorganized and action plans were developed.The discussion allowed the elaboration of acommon agenda establishing and prioritizingthe research and development needed, whichallowed more efficient use and management ofavailable funding.

Change in management structure andgovernment agendaA Ministerio de Asuntos Hídricos (MAH)(Ministry of Water Affairs) has been created atthe provincial level. Currently, the Ministry ofInfrastructure is where the Secretaría deRecursos Hídricos (Water Resources Agency) islocated. At the municipal level, a Dirección deGestión de Riesgos (Risk ManagementAgency) has been formed as an independententity from the office of the mayor. Creatingthese new organizations was an essential actionthat brought attention to the issue and facili-tated its treatment as the main cross-cuttingissue involving agencies from multiple levels oflocal government.

Implementation of a real-time hydrologicalert system Rio Salado’s Red Alert Flood was implementedand is currently functional using 14 pluvio-graphic/meteorologic stations and 14 hydro-metric stations.

Land use regulation for riverbanks andbodies of waterLaw 11.730 is in place to zone and regulate theoccupancy of valleys flooded by rivers andstreams in the region.

Figure 2. Solvingthe “puzzle”challenge tocoordinateinterests, respon-sibilities andresources at inter-jurisdictional,inter-sectorial,inter-functionallevels

Figure 4.Preparation of contingency plans with communities’ participation.

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Figure 3. Location of Santa Fe city

offers training seminars for teachers andcommunity designated agents, and developseducational materials for teachers’ support andflood risk management manuals. A web pagehas been developed where the ContingencyPlan and other relevant publications, timelyweather forecast, and river flow forecasts areavailable.

Recovering and maintenance of livememoryIt is important to save images from the past thathelp prevent a possible future catastrophe.Photographic samples and documentaries andposting “water marks” of past floods areextremely important. A “Memorial” regardingpast flooding is under development.

Recovery and set up of environmental valuein marginalized zonesThe degraded border area in the west of theCapital of Santa Fe is being transformed byturning it into a natural urban reserve. The trans-formation has been done with the support of theFrench Fund for Global Environment (FFEM).Multiple uses are being contemplated for thegreen space, reducing the ecological and social

vulnerabilities while improving the quality of lifein the neighbouring areas.

Recognition of the efforts expressing thepride of the authorities and communities.Santa Fe was the first city in Argentina to jointhe Global Campaign of the United NationsOffice, the United Nations International Strategyfor Disaster Reduction (UNISDR). UNISDR’smission is “Developing Resilient Cities” topromote the implementation of the “HyogoFramework for Action”. The proactiveengagement of Santa Fe has resulted in it beingnamed “an exemplary Model City” and, in 2011,it was awarded the Sasakawa Prize. n

ReferencesAguirre Madariaga E y otros (2014). Aprender de los Desastres.

Gobierno de la Ciudad de Santa Fe y UNISDR. Santa Fe,Argentina

OMM – GWP (2004) Gestión integrada de Crecientes – DocumentoConceptual. APFM Documento Técnico Nº 1, segunda edición.

Paoli, C. (2015) Gestión Integrada de Crecidas – Guía y caso deestudio. European Commision. Report EUR 27493 ES.

Translated from Spanish by Maria S. Horta

Stormwater surplus regulation system inurban zonesRegulatory mechanisms for buildings andstreets as well as municipal laws were intro-duced to regulate the development of imper-meable surfaces due to urbanization andmandate the retention of flood surplus waters.

Availability of an appropriate legal and insti-tutional framework and a contingency planelaborated with community’s participationA risk management municipal system wascreated and the development of a ContingencyPlan was one of its first actions. Each district’svulnerability conditions were widely discussedas well as the potential damages that could becaused by different types of events. Strategieswere implemented for, among other things,evacuation routes and meeting places duringcritical situations and methods to solve differenttypes of conflict (Aguirre Madariaga et al, 2014).

Risk management, education and communication A risk communication program was createdin which sixty organizations from forty-five neigh-borhoods in the city participated. The program

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