The
proposal is submitted to the:
Specific
RTD Programme "Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development"
Part
A "Environment and Sustainable Development"
RTD
Activities of a Generic Nature
(i)
The Fight Against Major Natural and Technological Hazards
I.1
Natural Hazards
I.1.2
Floods and hydrological risks.
The
proposed work contributes to the relevant objectives as follows:
1)
"…through a better understanding of processes, mechanisms
and events generating natural ……. hazards, to develop technologies
and methods ……. for environmental impact assessment, risk forecasting,
prevention, evaluation and mitigation." The underlying ethos
of the project is to develop technologies for hazard assessment which
are firmly based on a physical understanding of the processes controlling
rapid slope failures. Thus the field data collection and data analyses
will enable the necessary relationships defining debris flow behaviour
to be developed for insertion in the two impact prediction models.
Similarly, GIS analysis of the assembled databases will highlight
the factors for the hazard assessment model. The sound physical basis
will be essential to the use of the models for examining future scenarios
including mitigation procedures. More empirical approaches would have
less basis for extrapolation beyond the conditions for which they
were developed.
2)
"Support to improved decision-making systems, including evaluation
and validation tools for assessing hazards ……" It is a principal
objective of this project to develop models for assessing the hazard
posed by rapid slope failures and to disseminate the resulting technologies
to relevant end-users to improve the efficiency and objectivity of
their decision-making.
3)
"Mitigation strategies with a view to providing input to EU
policies and relevant directives". The models provide a basis
for exploring the mitigating effects of, for example, torrent control
structures and land management on debris flow impact. While aimed
initially at local end-users, the models could equally well be used
in the development of more general strategies. Part of the project
is also concerned with preparing a proposal for a code of standards
for collecting and analyzing data for land use planning and formulation
of associated laws.
As
a research project, the work will be aimed at obtaining new knowledge
on rapid slope failures in European mountain areas and both developing
and improving modelling technologies to address an important Community
socio-economic problem. End-users will be closely involved to help focus
and steer the work.
Within
the wider consideration of the Fifth Framework Programme, the
proposed work has clear implications for improving the quality of life
(reduced threat to life and livelihood) and for sustaining the economies
of Europe's mountain areas (e.g. by providing a basis for reducing damage
to infrastructure).
