Concept

In wadi system, we have many challenges are listed as follows:

  • Flash floods in Wadi Systems have caused severe damages, especially in the Arab regions. Human life, infrastructure such as roads and buildings as well as the environment are endangered and have been destroyed.
  • Flash floods are caused by extreme weather conditions, their occurrence is highly random and the associated problems are expected to increase due to climate change.
  • There is an urgent need for flash flood protection and risk reduction, on the other hand, this rainwater can also be considered as a new resource for water harvesting.
  • Frequency and intensity of extreme events have been increasing significantly across most of MENA Region (Fig. 4.1).
  • Rapid increase of population and urbanization has pushed people to high disaster risk zones such as Wadi flood plain.
  • Therefore, urban flood management will have significant impacts on urban infrastructures in the MENA region.
  • There are many research challenges and key questions are related to Hydrological studies, Monitoring and database, Climate and hydropedology, water resources availability, sedimentation and erosion, coastal management, society and environment (Fig. 4.2).
Fig. 4.1 Frequency and intensity of extreme events over the MENA Region
Fig. 4.2 Wadi basin research challenges in the MENA Region.

In order to overcome the challenges of wadi system, we need to address the following key activities:

  • Enhance economic development and bilateral cooperation through building national capacities for the conservation and protection of prone areas as well as managing the available water resources in such dry regions.
  • Proposed the integrated framework of Flash Floods risk reduction and water management
  • Developing Comprehensive Technical interdisciplinary research projects
  • Conducting comprehensive Hydrological, meteorological, geological, land use survey and analysis of wadi systems
  • Establishing Meteorological and hydrological Monitoring network in the ungauged basins
  • Studying periodically urbanization effects in the upper catchments and surrounding areas that might increase the severity of the floods.
  • Conducting assessment of possible sedimentation and erosion impacts and effects.
  • Assessment of Climate change impacts on the severity and frequency of the flash floods in the area.
  • Flood risk mapping and management of flash floods.
  • Others
DPRI-KU
KYOTO UNIVERSITY
JSPS