Rainwater harvesting systems: An urban flood risk mitigation measure in arid areas

Hdeib, Rouya; Aouad, Marwan F.

doi:10.1016/j.wse.2023.04.004

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…The region is an excellent agricultural site characterized by high mountain ranges in the west and southwest to flat and semi-flat areas in the east and northeast. Farming and cultivation methods vary by region, with some similarities in crop varieties, irrigation patterns, and agricultural heritages [44]. The area is also distinguished by the presence of ancient agricultural terraces and many unique rainwater harvesting methods that significantly contribute to reducing the impact of disasters such as droughts and floods.…”

Section: The Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential of Traditional Adaptation Measures in Mitigating the Impact of Climate Change

AL-Falahi,

Barry,

Gebrechorkos

et al. 2023

Sustainability

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With the rapid changes in climate, minimizing their impact has become vital in all countries, especially in the countries most vulnerable to climate change effects. Yemen is one of the countries facing several challenges that exacerbate the impact of climate change on multiple sectors, including water resources and agriculture. This paper documents and addresses the role of traditional techniques practiced by smallholder farmers in rural villages of the Yemeni highlands for adapting to climate change. The measures are innovative and independent of state support and can be practiced in the future to mitigate the effects of climate change on agriculture and water resources. The findings of future projections on the region reveal an increase in precipitation and temperature, leading to more frequent floods and higher evaporation rates. Therefore, maintenance of agricultural terraces, construction of rainwater harvesting structures, promotion of crop diversity and rotations, integration of agroforestry practices, improving irrigation efficiency, and soil conservation will be essential in the future. Additionally, education and awareness programs on climate change adaptation issues at the community level are also needed. These measures also have a significant role in improving food security and alleviating poverty in rural areas of Yemen.

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Section: The Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential of Traditional Adaptation Measures in Mitigating the Impact of Climate Change

AL-Falahi,

Barry,

Gebrechorkos

et al. 2023

Sustainability

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“…The rainwater collection system at the Bullitt Center not only saves water but also helps reduce the risk of urban flooding. The research by Hdeib and Aouad (2023) suggested that rainwater harvesting systems can alleviate urban floods. Although their research focuses on arid areas, these principles apply to various climates.…”

Section: Benefitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Green building practices to integrate renewable energy in the construction sector: a review

Chen,

Hu,

Wang

et al. 2023

Environ Chem Lett

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The building sector is significantly contributing to climate change, pollution, and energy crises, thus requiring a rapid shift to more sustainable construction practices. Here, we review the emerging practices of integrating renewable energies in the construction sector, with a focus on energy types, policies, innovations, and perspectives. The energy sources include solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass fuels. Case studies in Seattle, USA, and Manama, Bahrain, are presented. Perspectives comprise self-sufficiency, microgrids, carbon neutrality, intelligent buildings, cost reduction, energy storage, policy support, and market recognition. Incorporating wind energy into buildings can fulfill about 15% of a building's energy requirements, while solar energy integration can elevate the renewable contribution to 83%. Financial incentives, such as a 30% subsidy for the adoption of renewable technologies, augment the appeal of these innovations.

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“…The scholarly landscape surrounding urban rain-flood storage simulations has witnessed a marked proliferation in research outputs, with methodologies progressively transitioning from subjective assessments to more quantifiable approaches, including mathematical statistics, 3S (GIS, GPS, and RS) technology analysis, and sophisticated model extrapolations [31][32][33][34][35]. Nevertheless, at the spatial scale level, watershed cities encompass the integral "gray-green-blue" spaces for rain-flood storage.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulation Study on Rain-Flood Regulation in Urban “Gray-Green-Blue” Spaces Based on System Dynamics: A Case Study of the Guitang River Basin in Changsha

Jiang,

Xiong,

Yang

et al. 2023

Water

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Urban rainstorms and flood disasters are the most common and severe environmental problems worldwide. Many factors influence rain-flood control simulation, forming a complex network system of interconnected and mutually constraining elements. In terms of spatial scale selection, existing research on rain-flood disaster risk largely relies on a single-scale infrastructure index system and has not yet focused on urban “gray-green-blue” spatial scale simulations for rain-flood storage. Regarding research methodology, applying system dynamics methods to the simulation of rain-flood storage and disaster prevention planning in watershed cities is still in its initial stages. System dynamics models can simulate the feedback interactions among various sub-elements in the coupled mega-system, fully addressing complex issues within the system structure that involve multiple variables, non-linear relationships, and numerous feedback loops, thereby compensating for the inadequacies of traditional linear models in the collaborative management of rain-flood risks. Taking the Changsha Guitang River Basin as an example, this paper constructs a system dynamics model covering four dimensions: natural environment, socio-economics, internal structure, and policy development. It aims to derive the optimal planning scheme for gray-green-blue spatial coordination in rain-flood storage by weighing four different development scenarios. The simulation results show: (1) Simply changing the surface substrates without considering rainwater discharge and the plan that emphasizes the construction of municipal drainage facilities will see the capacity gap for rain-flood storage-space construction continue to widen by 2035. This indicates that the plans mentioned above will struggle to bear the socio-economic losses cities face during rain-flood disasters. (2) The plan of combining gray and green infrastructures sees the rain-flood storage construction capacity turn from negative to positive from 2024, rising to 52.259 billion yuan by 2035. This reflects that the plan can significantly reduce the rainwater volume in the later stages of low-impact development infrastructure construction, mitigate rain-flood disaster risks, and reduce government investment in rain-flood disaster risk management, making it a relatively excellent long-term rain-flood storage space planning option. (3) The rain-flood regulation space planning scheme, under the combined effect of the urban “gray-green-blue” network system, sees the capacity for rain-flood storage construction turn positive a year earlier than the previous plan, reaching 54.232 billion yuan by 2035. This indicates that the scheme can not only effectively respond to extreme flood and rainstorm disasters but also maintain ecological environment benefits and mitigate the socio-economic losses caused by disasters, making it the optimal choice for future government disaster management planning. The research results provide a theoretical framework and practical insights for territorial spatial planning, rain-flood control management, and resilient city construction in watershed areas.

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Rainwater harvesting systems: An urban flood risk mitigation measure in arid areas

Cited by 6 publications

References 8 publications

Potential of Traditional Adaptation Measures in Mitigating the Impact of Climate Change

Potential of Traditional Adaptation Measures in Mitigating the Impact of Climate Change

Green building practices to integrate renewable energy in the construction sector: a review

Simulation Study on Rain-Flood Regulation in Urban “Gray-Green-Blue” Spaces Based on System Dynamics: A Case Study of the Guitang River Basin in Changsha

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