Yuk Feng Huang (PhD, PEng, MIEM)

Univerisiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR)

Malaysia

Topic:
Flood Mitigation Measures
Natural Disaster
• A natural disaster is a natural process or phenomenon that may
cause:
• loss of life, injury or other health impacts;
• property damage;
• loss of livelihoods and services;
• social and economic disruption;
• environmental damage

• Various phenomena:
• floods, landslides, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, etc.
Flood Disaster
• Flood is overflow of water, which submerges land that is usually dry;
• Floods can happen in a multitude of ways:
• when rivers overflow their banks due to excessive rain, or
• a ruptured dam upstream, etc.
• typhoon

• Floods often cause damage to homes and businesses, if they are

located within the flood zones or floodplains;
• In Malaysia – monsoon flood and flash floods
Monsoon Floods in Peninsular Malaysia
• Monsoon floods take hours or even days to develop, giving residents
ample time to prepare;

(24 hours)
 River Network & Floodplain in River Basin

less 8 hours of travelling time

runoff at
upstream

8 hours of travelling time

River
more 8 hours of travelling time
runoff at
Floodplain downstream

https://wolfriver.org/whats-a-watershed
• However, flash floods can be extremely dangerous, which are
generated quickly and with little warning
Flood Mitigation

• The prevention and mitigation of flooding can be studied on three

levels:
• individual properties;
• small communities, and
• whole towns or cities

• Flood mitigation involves the management and control of flood water

movement due to a rainfall event
• To mitigate floods, first we must identify the locations of floodplain,
and then design the floodplain (flood frequency)
 Floodplain:
• A floodplain is an area of land adjacent to a river, which stretches
from the river banks to the base of the enclosing valley walls and
experiences flooding during periods of high river flow due to heavy
rain

http://www.coolgeography.co.uk/GCSE/AQA/Water%20on%20the%20Land/Meanders/Landforms%20Meanders.htm
 (Base Flood)

https://www.peachtreecornersga.gov/government/public-works/stormwater/floodplain-management
Floodplain Design (Flood Frequency):
• The 100-year return period of floodplain is the land that is predicted
to flood during a 100-year rainfall, which has 1% chance of occurring
in any given year
• A return period, also known as a recurrence interval, is an estimate
of the likelihood of a flood event to occur
Return Period (year) = 1 / Annual Exceedance Probability (%)

Annual Exceedance Probability (%) = 1 / Return Period (year)

• The 100-year is used since this is the adopted standard design

protection level for flood prevention
Over recent decades, possibly due to global climate change, 100-year floods have been
occurring worldwide with frightening regularity (i.e. the 40-ft flood stage would be seen
more frequent – instead of once in 100-yr, now could be in 10-yr [increased 10 times])
http://www.ci.watertown.wi.us/departments/floodplain_information.php#.W5OD--gzbIU
 Floodplain : Before and After Developments (both
are 100-year)

100-Year
Pre Development
Floodplain

100-Year
Post Development
Floodplain
 Qpeak We don’t want
(higher) (20% to 30%)
this !

Flood Volume = Area under the hydrograph

Time-lag
(< 10%) We want this !

tc
(smaller)

https://www.slideshare.net/savebuzzardsbay/thinking-about-clean-water-and-development
https://auma.ca/advocacy-services/programs-initiatives/water-management/watershed-management/stormwater

Pre Development Post Development

< 10% 20 - 30%

Flood Mitigation - Structural Measures :
• Structural flood mitigation (100-year return period design) is where
physical structures are constructed to reduce the impact of flooding;
• Conventional methods: levees, additional channels, etc.
• Green technologies: retention/detention pond, swales, green roofs, rain
gardens, permeable paving, etc.
Levees

https://utazom.com/utazas/del-kinai-nagykorut-jangce- http://www.waterdamageout.com/water_damag
hajouttal-0 e_sacramento_next.htm
Levees

https://robinmclachlan.com/2016/10/29/the-levee-dilemma/
 Detention & Retention Pond

Urban Stormwater Management Manual for Malaysia

Swales

http://kstonehouse.itag.pw/flat-roof-water-pooling- http://earthrepaircorps.org/2013/10/14/how-to-
solution build-a-swale/
Green Roof, Rain Garden, http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/sustainability/sustain
ability/sustainable-living/at-home/rainscaping-
Permeable Paving guide/permeable-pavement.aspx

https://lrienergysolutions.com/services/water-
efficiency/storm-water-management/
YouTube (6 minutes):
What is Floodplains by Design?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PBT4OEJfGs
YouTube:
What is Floodplains by Design?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PBT4OEJfGs
Flood Mitigation - Non Structural Measures :
Land use planning controls
• Strategic land use planning will identify the extent of flood impacted land
to limit the construction of urban and rural residential, commercial and
industrial land.
Early warning systems
• Early warning systems are extremely important in flash flooding events to
provide residents with the ability to respond to impending flood waters.
River Basin flood modelling
• Maintaining up-to-date flood models of developing river basins (land use
change);
• To assist the stakeholders to understand the impact of new development
on existing residents in the river basins
Flood Risk Map (Non-structural flood
mitigation measure)
• The most effective way of reducing the risk to people and property is
through the production of flood risk maps;
• Most countries have produced maps, which show areas prone to
flooding based on historical flood and rainfall data;
• Again, the 100-year of return period is used since this is the adopted
standard design protection level for flood prevention;
• The most sustainable way of reducing risk is to prevent further
development in flood prone areas. It is important for those at-risk
communities to develop a comprehensive Floodplain Management
Plan based on the flood risk maps
https://www.mae.gov.nl.ca/waterres/flooding/frm.html
Flood Risk Map
Dungun River Basin (2017)
Dungun River Basin (2030)
Selangor River Basin (2017)
Selangor River Basin (2030)
YouTube (3 minutes):
Flood Mapping Basics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=bNasdKVeivk
YouTube:
Flood Mapping Basics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=bNasdKVeivk
Impact of Climate Change
• The 100-year flood is no longer the 100-year flood; it may become 10-
year flood now;
• While the 500-year flood is no longer the 500-year flood; it may
become 100-year flood now;
• Possible? Why?
The Answer : YES
(Assumed higher rainfall after climate changed):
• Before climate changed, the 100-year flood that was expected to occur
once in 100 years (usually it was due to a very heavy rainfall as it occurred
only once in 100 years), was normal;
• After climate changed, it may occur more frequent (become abnormal),
let’s say 10 years instead of 100 years. So now, the 100-year (1% of
probability to occur) flood has become 10-year (10% of probability to
occur) flood;
• But do not forget, they have the same level of flood (40-ft). Just different
frequencies (100 years vs 10 years) or probabilities (1% vs 10%);
• So what will be the new 100-year flood (after climate changed)? Much
higher? Yes
• This is possible because the new 10-year flood is already equal to the old
100-year flood. Thus, the new 100-year flood now could be equivalent to
the old 500-year (0.2% of probability to occur) flood (48-ft)
48-ft

40-ft

AFTER climate changed

BEFORE climate changed

 (10-Year)

(100-Year)

(10-Year)
Thank you