Climate change will lead to more extreme precipitation events for many cities in the world. In support of climate adaptation planning, there is a need for a flood hazard analysis at local scale before and after climate scenarios. Such analysis has, however, difficulties for several reasons: climate model outputs are available at a scale that is too coarse for urban hydrological impact analysis; uncertainties in the future climate projections have to be accounted for; detailed 2-D urban flood modelling, mapping and analysis is time and resource demanding; requires high resolution data that is not always available; hydrologists and water system experts do not have the knowledge and/or capacity to deal with climate scenario development.

Already 4 billion people face water scarcity today. Freshwater scarcity is increasing due to growing population & water footprint and climate change. The key to moving from scarcity to abundance lies in the sea. However, desalination uses a great deal of fossil energy and is a nightmare to maintain. This leads to high water generation cost, contribution to the increase of freshwater scarcity and no possibilities for remote regions to arrange decentralized water stations. Elemental Water Makers provides efficient and easy solar-powered reverse osmosis technology. The energy efficient desalination solutions can be powered by the sun, wind, waves or the local energy. So everyone can get reliable access to clean water that’s affordable. A self-sufficient future by solar desalination has arrived. Join us in solving fresh water scarcity, using only the sea, sun, earth & wind.

For construction of a conventional sandbag alignment to protect of low-lying areas in case of flooding huge amounts of sandbags are needed. Approximately 7,000 sandbags are needed for a conventional alignment 0.5 m high and 100 m long. Therefore, many hands as well as material and transports are needed to install and dismantle such a system.

To secure dike sections that are at risk of breakage, structures made entirely of sandbags or sandbags in combination with fascines (cylindrical bundle of brushwood or similar material) or geotextiles are commonly used. The sandbags can be deployed either on the waterside or, most commonly, on the crest or on the landside dike slope. Extensive laminar seepage occurs especially on dikes with a narrow crest and a steep landside slope and when prolonged high-water levels have caused the seepage line in the dike to rise. Although minor seepages can generally be accepted, high flow velocities through the dike cause internal erosion leading to subsidence and slumping or slides of the landside slope and ultimately piping. When applying measures to prevent dike failure it has to be made sure not to increase buoyancy of the dike and to ensure that seepage water is allowed to escape. Filters with an imposed load ensure sufficient drainage and provide support to stabilize a sliding landside slope. For construction of a conventional sandbag load filter huge amounts of sandbags are needed. A sandbag load of three layers with an overall thickness of 0.3 m requires about 24 to 30 sandbags per square meter. Therefore, many hands as well as material and transports are needed to install and dismantle such a protection system.

To secure dike sections that are at risk of breakage, structures made entirely of sandbags or sandbags in combination with fascines (cylindrical bundle of brushwood or similar material) or geotextiles are commonly used. The sandbags can be deployed either on the waterside or, most commonly, on the crest or on the landside dike slope. In case of an increased local seepage in the lower regions of the landside slope of a dike, the seepage flow must be stopped or at least hampered to prevent piping. For this, conventionally a sandbag impoundment is built around the leakage in which the water or water/ sediment mixture is collected. The resulting hydraulic counter pressure reduces or prevents further seepage. For construction of a conventional sandbag impoundment with a height of 0.80 m 800 to 1,000 sandbags are required. Therefore, many hands as well as material and transports are needed to install and dismantle such a protection system.

Flooding, flash flooding

Fraunhofer MobiKat has been designed to effectively support preparation and management of large-scale situations such as floods, droughts and other extreme weather. It supports fire-brigades, rescue organisations, disaster relief staff etc. with a Common Operational Picture (COP) with information about position and status of all forces and relief items in real-time as well as multiple decision support functionalities. It supports all phases of the crises management life cycle: prevention, preparedness, mitigation, management and recovery. It is perfectly suited for rapid deployment in fast emerging situations due to a) its intuitive usability and b) flexible data interfaces.

Flooding

Irrigated agriculture is the most relevant water use sector, therefore highlighting the key role that efficient irrigation plays for saving water at the global level. Smart irrigation, supported by on-line assessment of soil and crop conditions, as well as weather forecasting, is unanimously recognized as a potential solution to mitigate global water scarcity. However, it is still an open question how to design the optimal structure of a smart irrigation system.

Due to climate change river flood plains and coastal areas will more frequently face extreme low and high water levels, all around the world. Sometimes events come at unusual times, such as the 2016 floods in the river Rhine that occurred in the summer season. The prediction of extreme water levels is also bound with uncertainty. Early warning of floodplain users such as inhabitants, businesses, farmers, and recreational sector (e.g., camp owners, festival organizers) is crucial to the safety of people and property, or to reduce losses in agricultural sectors. The app "My Water Level" provides a modern-day opportunity to users to set automatic, location-based warnings for self-chosen low and high water levels.