Abstract
State and local governments are responsible for regulating land issues, and the federal government can only stimulate certain initiatives to regulate land use. One of the many factors that Australian authorities are held accountable is when it comes to planning is the flood risk. There is no doubt that the possibility of damage that comes from flooding should be taken into consideration; that is why this research aims to create new solutions that can help with this issue. The relevance of this topic comes from the fact that such risks are primarily caused by climate change, which is a big environmental problem that needs to be addressed on a global level. Nevertheless, locally it is still possible to avoid floods or reduce the probability of them happening. First of all, it is important to note that the strategies of flood management can be divided into preventing floods, restoration activities, and ways to respond to such emergencies. However, it would be the most beneficial to implement these methods while planning the use of the land; for this reason, management is important. In Australia, many institutions are involved in resolving this issue, including even parliament.
The need for changes in local policies regarding protection from the negative effects of floods has long been discussed in Australia. Measures for engineering protection against floods are inevitably accompanied by a wide range of negative consequences, the full compensation of which is not economically justified, and sometimes it is not technically feasible. At the same time, due to the threat, it is irrational to abandon the use of all risky areas with resources. Therefore, flood protection measures should be comprehensive, and all possible consequences should be taken into consideration.
To create a sufficient management plan, it would be important to consider flood behavior during the first stage. Professionals create plans that include special zones where the risks are the highest; however, such documents need to be constantly updated to reflect the current land use situation. The downside of this approach is its low cost-effectiveness since creating new and relevant plans is expensive. For this reason, one of the most beneficial solutions would be to create a new scientific-based strategy for land use planning that would be lower regarding the correctness and financial expenditures. In addition, this approach needs to be easy to add and update data for timely interventions. Several researchers consider that GIS databases and hydrological models that can be based on them could be used in planning by local authorities.
For instance, in Whittlesea, there is a complex management process that involves several policies and methods which control water quality. At first, after gathering geographical information, it is vital to create a database, and the LiDAR dataset is used as an example. At the same time, the data need to be accurate; this particular set can be employed when there is no need for accuracy of 0.5m and higher. However, there was also some missing information about dangers for infrastructure, overland paths, and areas that are resistant to floods. Despite this, hydrological models that are capable of self-learning were used to create this data.
Several other steps should be done while land use planning, which includes recording the process of planning, examining the database to evaluate its accuracy. The other stages are determining if there is any information that was not gathered and coming up with approaches. It is also essential to realize and assess the responsibility of proper planning and document the process as accurately as possible. Those officials who should be held accountable for it should also be determined.
As an example, in this particular study, Darebin Creek City will be thoroughly analyzed, as well as how authorities conduct land planning, what methods they use while gathering data and how effectively they use LiDAR and GIS. To be more precise and assess elements that contribute to flood risks and how do they influence land planning, a Decision Tree and Support Vector Machine will be used. The work of a Victorian Council will be evaluated, which means that their decisions regarding the use of data and approaches to mapping and accommodating floods will be analyzed. This research can be used as a reference for other authorities since it will consider the gaps in their strategies in flood-risk land use planning.
Introduction
This section will provide history and outline the focus of the current research. First of all, it would be important to determine the term of flood-based land use planning. In other words, it is the process that takes into consideration land risk. In addition, it is also known as the best method for mitigating flood damage. Furthermore, for many stakeholders and local governments, it is a serious issue challenge that needs to be resolved by not only the government but also by corporations. Nevertheless, it is difficult to determine a particular strategy since the priorities of stakeholders are usually created based on their organizational goals, which often vary from company to company. It is also vital to remember that flood-risk land-use planning systems provide approaches that can solve significant flood problems, including overland flash floods and stormwater runoff floods.
As for Whittlesea and its plan against floods, it was created due to a recognized necessity to strengthen coordination between flood protection companies and for the City of Whittlesea. In addition, Melbourne Water and the Victoria State Emergency Service realized that they need to collaborate in small communities to meet the goals of their neighbors, such as Port Phillip (Flood management strategy, 2007). The strategies regarding the mapping and the land use not only define responsibilities and duties but also address suggested initiatives that can help with flood prevention in Melbourne Waters. Moreover, in this chapter, all possible risks for the community are also defined. For instance, every problematic area is identified, and several strategies are offered for improving land-use planning.
In addition, those who create policies regarding the land planning that are connected with flooding are need overlays to be alert about the risks. Nevertheless, it does not seem possible for any particular area to obtain access to all overlays. That is why policy creators use other strategies, including gathering historical data from citizens, researchers’ studies, and conceptual models. For example, such hydrological models are divided into several categories, where one of them displays catchment hydrological activities at a particular outlet, they are called lumped hydrological models.
Another category of models demonstrates current circumstances at each land unit, which are called the distributed models. The downside of lumped models is that they are not capable of screening the whole area; however, such models require fewer data to conduct a hydrological simulation. The distributed models, however, need specific detailed information (GIS) environment, including typical Arc Hydro, SAGA, ArcSWAT Tools, which sometimes can be difficult to gather. The distributed models can also be included in the GIS environment, and their advantage comes from the fact that they follow natural topography.
There is a clear need for a new strategy that can assist with flood-risk land use planning in Whittlesea. This approach should touch upon several steps, including recording the process, gathering and evaluating the GIS database, and applying current hydrological models. The reason for this is that all these factors are of great contribution to managing flood-related risks and, for this reason, are important when it comes to land-use planning.
Background
Flooding has always been prevalent in Whittlesea City Council; numerous residencies were devastated by the severe flood in 1974, which destroyed Whittlesea’s town and broad country lands, bringing hardship and suffering. Neighborhoods of Whittlesea, Yan Yean, Mernda, Epping, Mill Park, Lalor, Thomastown, and Bundoora are among the areas at the highest risk of future devastations. When the disaster comes, there may not be enough time for adequate preparations. Therefore, there is a need to create an emergency plan for residencies and enterprises in the area. In 2016, the Victorian Floodplain Management Strategy (VFMS) was developed. It aims to control floodplains and lessen risks by creating guidelines regarding anticipated riverine, stream, and coastal floods (White, 2016). The plan is based on the Victorian Government’s answers given to the Inquiry into Flood Mitigation Infrastructure in Victoria organization. Besides, it adheres to the danger control approach described in the Emergency Management Act 2013.
Moreover, the VFMS controls floodplains following the Victorian Coastal Strategy 2014 and the Victorian Waterway Management Strategy 2013. The rules from the mentioned documents include planning schemes that limit construction in the areas at risk of flooding, storm surge flooding, riverine flooding, stormwater runoff flooding, overland stream flooding, and tidal flooding. In this way, the VFMS operates to lessen the structural flood dangers (Charteris et al., 2001). The work includes the construction of dams, impeding containers, channels, and floodways. The non-structural actions are taken as well, including the arrangement of the land use zones, overlays, setbacks, security, warning frameworks, guidance, and increasing awareness.
Regional experience is required when developing plans for stopping and lessening the consequences of floods, and it is involved in terms of shared responsibility. For example, the flood overlays formulated by regional governance are insufficient, mainly when the flooded field is moderately flat. The main participants in the development of the floodplain strategy are Councils, Melbourne Water, and Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) (Council, 2008). Flood administration also includes agencies, government, and consultants who operate collectively to control floodplains by land-use planning, danger control, and environmental policy (Habib et al., 2005). The administration of floodplains also entails dispensing flood risk data between all participants for improved floodplain control, flood warnings, and action (Trkman and McCormack, 2009).
VFMS has various functions: the development of flood overlay maps helps to warn decision-makers regarding the dangers of flooding when ruling on engineering permit applications. The flood overlays are instruments aimed to evade future risks. They are used to define potential flood danger and influence future construction decisions by guaranteeing developments and infrastructure to avoid dangerous areas. Therefore, VFMS prescribes making plenty of benchmarks or ‘survey ground marks’ for future computations of variations in sea levels (Hansson et al., 2008). VFMS also approaches the organizations, performs the necessary coordination to lessen the dangers and consequences of floods, and improves flood warning. Besides, the VFMS creates guidelines for programs, projects, and services at the national and regional levels (Cush, 2016). Another difficulty in flood control is obtaining reliable data to back-up resolutions that reduce the consequences of floods. In the absence of critical data, decision-makers have to use the current registered information, such as data handled by society members, practiced knowledge, or theoretical approaches.
Melbourne Water, in discussion with authorities, Councils, emergency service organizations, and other parties, developed The Port Phillip and Westernport Region Flood Management and Drainage Strategy (Flood management strategy, 2007). This policy acknowledges that no particular organization and plan can provide an efficient response to flood administration concerns. It also entails effective interaction between flood administrators and neighborhoods. The Strategy has five main goals, including creating evidence support such as flood planning schemes and learning consequences for the communities. The other purpose is to develop descriptions of possible long-standing future loads on today’s drainage systems and improvements in fixed areas, considering climate variation.
Besides, the Strategy requires a harmonized procedure for handling current local flood difficulties and learning extreme flood dangers. No less critical is improved population training, flood recognition, and preparation. Finally, there is a goal of creating accepted commitments and enhanced interaction between flood administration parties, including a unified structure and flood control maps. The obligation of Melbourne Water to operate with every district in the area and provide a comprehensive regional Flood Management Plan was the first result of the Strategy. The current study aims to define flood danger zones and promote the City of Whittlesea mixed stormwater control frame. Another objective is to encourage readiness for flood emergencies and enhance a relevant reaction within the City of Whittlesea and its neighborhoods.
For administration, the main difficulty is lessening the possibility of flooding and its impacts on the waterfront area and communities. Therefore, handling flood danger is CMA and LGAs’ responsibility. Moreover, the CMA and LGA statutory entails fostering flood legislation, flood danger assessment, and flood mapping to provide danger control frames and be ready for an emergency (Hardaker and Collier, 2013). This study shows that no particular group and program can present an adequate answer to flood administration concerns. Besides, it acknowledges that the CoW cannot entirely avoid flooding and that a continuing danger will persist. The theory is developed to support the CoW post-disaster evaluations admitting the necessity of incorporating GIS and hydrology to enhance the forecast of flooding in the CoW.
Reference List
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Cush, D. (2016). ‘Policy and implementation: local, regional, national, international, global’, British Journal of Religious Education, 38(3), pp. 224-228.
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