How to Avoid Brisbane River Flood - Research Proposal Example

Heading: Avoiding Brisbane River flooding COURSE NAME STUDENT NAME STUDY LEVEL DATE Introduction River flood are common phenomena’s in many regions across the globe. While rivers provide livelihood for many people and animals, they can also take life. Importances of rivers however far outweigh its disadvantages, globally, rivers in many countries are the central source of life and thus their protection is imperative. Most countries have enacted laws the control pollution of rivers by commercial plants. This is basically because if they are affected, then the livelihood of the residents will also be affected. In essence, almost all the countries in the world have measures of protecting rivers and other natural resources. Some countries which are overwhelmed by deserts such as Egypt by far protect available rives as it is the only source of water to the country’s population. Considering the importance of rives, Brisbane River in Australia is also an important resource. It has varied species of sea life and also provides water to the cities that the 344 Km river cuts across. More so, this river also provides a route to various destinations across the region. Brisbane River floods have however been frequent across the region; both major and minor effects of the river flooding have been witnessed in the region. The effects of these floods are enormous, it affect the normalcy of the day to day life and also destroys property. In some extreme cases, these river floods cause deaths or varying degrees of injuries as a result of the debris that are carried along as the river banks overflows. Brisbane River flood is the major point of concern in this research proposal. Major issues of Brisbane River floods will be covered in detail with the hope of proposing a sustainable approach to addressing Brisbane River floods in the country. Research questions i. How are Brisbane river floods affecting the residents of the area? ii. How is the issue of Brisbane river flood being addressed by the government? iii. How can the stakeholders mitigate or completely eliminate Brisbane river floods? Objectives The objective of this research is to look at how Brisbane river floods affects the residents of the area, what measures have been taken by stakeholder in order to address the issue of river flood and how can this problem be solved once and for all. Background Brisbane River is located in the East Queensland, Australia, t is the longest river in the region and it cuts through Brisbane and empties into Moreton Bay. Brisbane River was first explored in 1823 by a European explorer John Oxley and he named it after the New South Wales Governor Brisbane. In 1860s, this river was full of natural beauty; it was rich of different fish species such as Queensland lungfish, bull sharks and Brisbane river cod and vegetation. It was also an important carriageway between Brisbane and Ipswich and later linking to railway. This river stretches for about 344Km from Mount Stanley, a dam (Wivenhole Dam) is constructed in order to dam the river and provide water supply for Brisbane. The river is prone to flood as experienced recently in 2011. Wivenhole Dam has played a key role in diminishing the floods frequency. In the past, the floods have been as a result of deepening and relative reduction in the depth of the river. This creates sand banks and shoals and also increase the migration of sediments suspended from the rivers upstream. These sediments deposits created major floods and hence making the ship navigation almost in impossible in the river. Small and big vessels find it difficult to travel up the river, the upper reaches dredging activities have been stopped, and this has been fruitful because the river has been able to recover from the gravel and sand deposits. There have been a number of flood occurrences since the European settlement of Brisbane, some of the notable instances f major flood are in the year January and March 1890, 1893, 1974, and 2011 and recently on 28th January 2013. Brisbane river floods can be potentially hazardous as documented from 1974 to 2011. Brisbane banks are relatively high and topped by a broader plain, the river’s sinuous course signifies that the water from upstream is not quickly emptied into Moreton Bay and hence the main cause of flood in the city. This occurs normally when there is a high level of water flow while the emptying process is much slower. Literature review There are a number of approaches that can be adopted in order to prevent river floods [1]. Some of the well known approaches include flood-control dams across rivers. More so, Dikes and levees are constructed along rivers I order to ensure that they do not overflow in periods of high water levels. Canals are also utilized in ensuring that excess water is drained off. Rivers and streams are diverted to avoid places with dense population [1]. Other measures normally taken by the state with the intent of reducing the effects of floods is through the controlling constructions in places prone to floods. Most loss of lives is due to people’s habitation of places that are already prone to river floods [4, 5]. Another measure that can be taken in order to mitigate the effects of floods is diversion of the river course to avoid areas with high population. Prevention of soil erosion is also another important step in controlling floods [3]. This is the main reason why it is imperative to plant trees in areas near rivers, dealing with sloes and grads as well as creating reservoirs is also important because it helps arrest sediments and debris which are responsible for river floods. In china, the famous Yangtze River floods has been addressed through continuous process of dredging, construction of channels and high levees as well as dam construction has played a key role in controlling the Yangtze River floods[2]. In order formulate better approaches of dealing with floods, the causes of river floods should also be well understood. Some of the main causes of floods include torrential rain, urbanization which increases surface run-off, dam collapse, tsunami caused by underwater quake, snow and glacier melt, monsoon rains, deforestation and global warming among others [4]. Fundamentally, there are known viable methods of controlling floods such as controlling the dam water level, building barriers embankments flood walls, changing the river’s channel by straightening it, widening and deepening it. Notably, controlling land use around the river is also essential; this is normally called land zoning. A good example of an effective way of controlling is in the U.S. Mississippi river levee system, it is one of the largest system in the world. It consists of about 5,600 km of levees which extend for 1,600 km along the Mississippi river. They also average about 24 feet (7m) in height, in fact some levees can be as tall as 50 feet (15 m) [6]. Methodology How to achieve the objectives The objectives of this proposal can be achieved by implementing the proposed recommendations of flood control. Basically being in a position to predict or forecast a flood is the first step, intensifying efforts that lead to flood management is also desired. Learning from case studies such as the great Mississippi River in the US and Yangtze River in China in China is important. Data needed The data required in this case includes both primary data and secondary data. Primary data is the current data which can be acquired by studying the river behavior and consequently collecting samples from the river bed throughout all the seasons. This is an effective step because it ensures that the existing state is used to acquire useful data and information about the river with the aim of helping in the process of river flood management. Secondary data on the other hand is the useful information relating to other events in the world that have been done with the efforts of curbing and mitigating the chances of floods occurrence. Mississippi River in the US and Yangtze River in China in China are specific good secondary data for Brisbane. Analytic techniques There are a number of techniques that can be used for data analysis. The most recommended in in this case is ANOVA and other essential SPSS tools which can manipulate means, standard deviation and produce graphical representation of the findings. SPSS can also provide a qualitative analysis and hence essential for this case. Plan for results interpretation Once the data has been collected and manipulated using statistical tools, the results can then be interpreted with the aim of establishing the best approach for curbing continuous Brisbane river floods. Schedule of work (Plan) Realistic plan for the completion of the project Flood forecast Flood forecast is an important part of avoiding a disaster as a result of a flood. Efforts to forecast and warn about possible flooding have been made in Brisbane through the Bureau of Meteorology in conjunction with the South East Queensland Water Corporation (SEQWater) and the Ipswich and Brisbane City Council [1,5]. This forecast uses rainfall data as well as the river network map. The main constituent of the warning system is the river height observers as well as the manual rainfall coupled with a automated telemetry equipment. The SEQWater system has been continuously upgraded in order to give early warnings about coming rainfall and possible river rise. The aim of this improvement has been to improve the accuracy of the prediction process in order to response appropriately to the impending creek and river flooding through the Brisbane valley. The current system is mainly a network which comprises of river heights stations throughout the valley [1]. The system sends information via a VHF radio to computer network base station located in a number of areas including Ipswich, Brisbane and SEQWater offices. These field stations basically reports every one millimeter of rainfall and about 50 millimeter change in the height of the river. The data is manipulated by a computer software system which then displays the information in graphical and tabular format. The information collected is also used by flood warning centre to produce water level predictions [6]. Whilst there is an effective system used to predict the occurrence of major floods in the region. The effectiveness of this system needs to be improved in order to be more effective in giving its warning systems. The first proposal will be to integrate satellite functions through Global Positioning System (GPS), this is essential because it ensures that the entire river changes of height can be captured more easily and effectively. In fact this integration will reduce or even eliminate the need of the base stations located throughout the region [1]. The data flow to the monitoring stations will also be real time while a number of sampled areas across the river can be monitored and the results submitted to the data analysis station. With the evolution and increase of networking, most of this information can be easily shared for a more effective analysis and data interpretation. Dam construction Dam construction is a major way of eliminating river floods; this is essentially because the system is designed to curb the overflow of water by controlling how the river empties and so forth. This measure has been undertaken in Brisbane, in fact Wivenhole Dam has been constructed, and the construction of this dam has significantly reduced floods in the area and also provides water to the nearby city[1,6]. In order to reduce and regulate the flow of water in the river, few more constructions at strategic places should be encouraged in order to ensure that the entire region is secured from possible floods. More construction of dams can be an expensive undertaking but worth it because the effects of floods are by far worse and expensive as compared to the cost of the dam construction. As an example, the Yangtze River in China has had a 50 years effort of dam constructions and other flood control measures; this has significantly helped to stop the potential hazards of the river. Despite the challenges still faced as a result of the river’s unpredictability, the measure taken already has made neighboring places more habitable than before. This is a good example of how Brisbane can benefit from the process [1]. Region zoning This is the process of controlling habitation of areas around the river which are prone to possible floods. This process is usually difficult to implement especially in areas that people have already inhabited. This process has not been strongly implemented around Brisbane river system. This is the reason why despite the early warning signs, floods are still common in the region. With time, the stakeholders such as the City Council of Ipswich and Brisbane with SEQWater need a future plan to implement this undertaking [2]. The rationale for this is to start marking areas prone to floods and effectively evacuating people out of those areas. After the people have been evacuated out of the area, measures such as planting of trees and vegetation can be enhanced in order for the flood volumes to be significantly reduced in the region [1]. Zoning can also be just for caution, this means that tree planting may not be necessary, the place can simply be deserted for a more safe place in order to avoid loss of life as a result of floods. Levees construction The construction of a levee is also another important consideration for Brisbane stakeholders. A Levee basically elevates the river bank and thus controlling the direction of the river flow as well as preventing river water from flooding the surroundings. Levees is recommended for Brisbane because of the following factors, firstly, levees construction is cheap, natural earth can be used for construction, available sand and rocks can be utilized especially in areas more prone to floods. Australia can learn from other developed countries such as the US, river Mississippi for instance has the longest and effective man made levee, its effectiveness comes from the fact that the levee stretches across all the areas that are prone to floods[3]. As evident, levees can be an effective way of reducing floods; it is also a much cheaper way of dealing with floods as natural materials can be used as levees. Further research on better ways of controlling floods Further research for better flood management is indeed needed in Brisbane and its surrounding areas. The research should especially focus on the Brisbane river behavior in all seasons, possible scientific ways of mitigating river floods should also be enhanced in order to ensure that the future is free from unwanted floods [1]. Measures such as controlling of river deposits responsible for flooding should also be investigated throughout the river, with this information, the government and other stakeholders can be in a better position to react to flood occurrences. A sustainable solution to frequent floods can also be found through an intensive research on modern methods of stopping floods. Conclusion Brisbane river floods normally occur in high torrential rains, floods affect the nearby cities and the need to find ways of curbing these frequent floods. The measures recommended in this proposal includes: enhancing flood forecast, building more dams, zoning affected regions, constructing levees and further research on better ways of curbing floods. Bibliography [1] D.J. Hall & N.M. Giglio, Architectural Graphic Standards for Residential Construction. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons,2010, pp.11-14. [2] D.Topp, Tennyson Breach. Sydney: Boolarong Press, 2012 pp.114-121. [3] G.A. Hammerson, Connecticut Wildlife: Biodiversity, Natural History, and Conservation. Michigan, UPNE, 2004, pp.58-65. [4] T. Eggleton, A Short Introduction to Climate Change. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press, 2012, pp.86-99 [5] W. Ben, At Risk: Natural Hazards, People's Vulnerability, and Disasters. Belmont, CA: Routledge,2004, pp.148-154. [6] W.A. Rose, Natural Hazards in El Salvador, Issue 375. New York, NY: Geological Society of America, 2004.pp.82-90. Read More