Action plan in case of dike failure

The innovation is a method to develop action plans for dike failures during river floods. The method aims to reduce the intervention time and to facilitate decions about required (re)actions as accurately as possible. This should lead to reducing damages caused by dike failure due to floods.

Developed by

S.C. AQUAPROIECT S.A.

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The methodology will include a framework for action plans and illustrations of the methodology in one or more study cases. The action plan will include: description of conditions (hydrological, topographic, geotechnical data), potential causes of dike failure, and hypotheses about possible damages to dikes. The hypotheses will be based on the size of the flood, the area in which the dike is prone to failure and the size of the breach.

TRL 4

Technology validated in lab.
Basic technological components are integrated to establish that they will work together. This is relatively “low fidelity” compared with the eventual system. Examples include integration of “ad hoc” hardware in the laboratory.

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Testing plan completed

The testing plan and the BRIGAID’s Testing Innovation Framework (TIF) has been rightly applied and finished. The TRL of the innovation has been effectively reached.

Business plan completed

The BRIGAID Business Development Programme has been successfully completed. A MAF+ assessment has been conducted and its results have been enriched and incorporated into a business plan document.

The methodology is currently being developed and will be tested in case studies. These case studies are considered as "lab tests". Future ambitions for operational testing include validating the methodology through flood emergency excersises with involvement of authorities and the population.

How does it work?

Flood protection dikes can be subject to increased failure probabilities during floods, especially for floods that may last for months (such as the Danube River). The methodology underlying the action plan provides a clear structure to include information such as the possible failure mechanisms (the breaches that can be formed and the time of their formation), their propagation in the exposed area, the maximum flood extent for different failure mechanisms, and the effective actions that can be taken by responsible authorities. The action plan will be used when probability of dike failure increases. Depending on the real situation (the size of the flood, zone were possible failure of dike, the breach/ brake mode, etc.), the authorities will have the possibility to choose from the presented options in the plan, which increases the effectiveness of disaster management and reduces flood damages.

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