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South Asian Urban and City Management Course

South Asian Urban and City Management Course. The Urban Environmental Challenge ENVIRONMENTAL GEOSCIENCE IN URBAN LAND-USE PLANNING: ADVICE FOR PLANNERS AND DECISION MAKERS Do you know your ground? John Powell, British Geological Survey. The Relevance of Geology to Environmental Management.

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South Asian Urban and City Management Course

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  1. South Asian Urban and City Management Course The Urban Environmental Challenge ENVIRONMENTAL GEOSCIENCE IN URBAN LAND-USE PLANNING: ADVICE FOR PLANNERS AND DECISION MAKERS Do you know your ground? John Powell, British Geological Survey

  2. The Relevance of Geology to Environmental Management • The environment is not limited to on and above the earth’s surface…. • Geology is not just: • Scientists with hammers and instruments • Producing pretty, but • incomprehensible, maps • Too many decision-makers are unaware of • critical contribution geology can make

  3. What is Environmental Geoscience • Defined as : the interaction between people and their physical environment • geology and geochemistry (rocks and soils) • hydrogeology (groundwater) • engineering geology/geotechnical engineering • geomorphology (slope analysis/landslip) • geophysics (seismic risk)

  4. Man and his environment: nothing new! If a builder builds a house and does not make its construction firm - and the house collapses and causes the death of the owner - the builder shall be put to death……..if it destroys property, he shall restore whatever it destroyed, and because he did not make the house which he built firm and it collapsed, he shall rebuild the house which collapsed at his own expense. Hammurabi, of Babylon (2067-2025 BC) Be mindful, when visiting a new city, of the air, the soils and the water Hippocrates, 500 BC ….and lo there was a great earthquake….and every mountain and island were moved out of their place (refers to Jordan Rift Valley) Revelation VI: 12,14 Nature to be commanded must be obeyed Sir Francis Bacon No engineering structure is better is better than the material of which, and on which, it is built A B Brink, 1979

  5. Why is it important to land-use planning? • to guide planners, developers to recognise constraints on development - and opportunities for sustainable development • factors include: hazards, resources and conservation

  6. Major Geo-hazards • slope instability (landslides, mudflows) • natural subsidence (caves, dissolution) • heave and settlement (shrink-swell clays) • seismic risk (earthquakes) • flood risk (river and coastal) • volcanic activity (ash-fall, mudflows, lava) • rising/falling groundwater • toxic and explosive gases (radon; methane) • contaminated /polluted land

  7. Man-induced Hazards • Mine spoil • Mining-induced subsidence • Slope instability in quarries etc. • Landfill (gas and leachate) • Groundwater pollution • Industrial/mining pollution (soils & water)

  8. Natural Resources • Minerals - aggregates; building stone • Water - surface water and groundwater • Land and soil - agriculture & construction • Conservation - natural and geological sites

  9. Shaft Coal extraction following removal of contaminated domestic landfill Landfill-domestic waste Landfill-domestic waste Glacial Till Fireclay Coal

  10. The Relevance of Geology to Environmental Management Ignoring geological factors leads to: • Increased financial costs • eg poor use of natural resources (sterilisation) and damage to property

  11. The Relevance of Geology to Environmental Management Ignoring geological factors leads to: • Loss of life • eg landslides, earthquakes and volcanic activity

  12. Volcanic hazard prediction Mud flow (lahar) probability (Chile) View

  13. The Relevance of Geology to Environmental Management Ignoring geological factors leads to: • Reduction in quality of life • eg pollution of water supply and soils, and gas emission

  14. Urban Groundwater Waste Water Water Supply Re-use Disposal Surface water Use Rainfall Sewage +- Treatment Landfill Peri-urban wells Urban wells Waste &Industrial Effluent Disposal Irrigation Groundwater Abstraction Aquifer Interaction of groundwater supply and wastewater disposal in a city after Foster et al, 1998

  15. Potential Problems Decline in well yields due to falling water table Declining water quality Increasing salinity due to sea-water intrusion Contaminants mobilized from contaminated land by rising water table Possible Solutions Reduce abstraction & mains leakage/increase recharge Reduce contaminants/ restrict residential development of vulnerable areas Control of industrial effluents Zone land for different use Control landfill location and design Separate waste disposal from groundwater supply Increase abstraction of shallow polluted wells for non-potable uses Urban Groundwater Supply Management

  16. Deep Groundwater Quality Degradation Due to PumpingHAT YAI, THAILAND HAT YAI CITY Wastewater leakage from canals Piezometric surface of semi-confined aquifer Strongly reducing conditions high Fe and Mn concentrations WATERTABLE Front of leakage produced by pumping AQUITARD POLLUTED WATER LEAKAGE Pumped Region of Aquifer (mixed polluted & fresh water AQUIFER AQUIFER after Foster et al, 1998

  17. Water Management Solutions • Encourage use of groundwater within city limits for non-potable use • Line canals and/or install mains sewerage system/treatment plants • Incentives for more efficient water use & reduce leakage • Develop peri-urban wells to meet increased potable supply

  18. Landfill site criteria • Sound site selection is a key factor • Criteria must include geology, groundwater flow • Groundwater and surface water protection must be considered • Dispersal or treatment of noxious gases and leachate? • Leachate control - natural retention or limited release

  19. COASTPLAN: Environmental geology review and planning Tourism Residential and high rise

  20. Jakarta: key coastal environmental issues: Coastal pollution and fish stocks Subsidence Poor foundation conditions/ illegal building practice

  21. 05.700 05.800 05.900 06.000 Kilometers 06.100 0 2 4 6 8 10 106.500 106.600 106.700 106.800 106.900 107.000 COASTAL POLLUTION: JAKARTA Kotok Br Copper Java Sea ppm % 49.4 71.4 99 95 P Pari 41.6 90 24.0 75 50 15.6 Rambut 25 9.1 P Ayer Besar 6.2 15 5.8 10 P Bidadari Jakarta 5.2 5 Copper in sediment core

  22. Reclamation plan for Jakarta Bay

  23. High resolution decision-support systems for geoscience knowledge Coastal erosion simulation • Photogrammetric software and GIS • Calculates cliff erosion and sediment volumes • Delivers terrain model simulations

  24. PROBLEM: Unrestricted abstraction leads to: Groundwater salinisation (saline intrusion) Land subsidence POSSIBLEOLUTIONS: Control industrial & domestic demands Disincentives for industrial users to abstract quality g.w. Reduce pollution of aquifer from city Water Quality and Subsidence Issues in Coastal Cities

  25. SOLUTIONS:ADVANTAGES OF GIS • SEPARATE MAP LAYERS • LINKS MAPS AND DATABASES • QUERY DATA AND MAPS • THEMATIC MAPS • COLOUR PAPER COPIES • SIMPLE GIS PACKAGE (eg. Map Info) • LANDSAT IMAGES/PHOTOGRAPHS

  26. Location of old mine shafts in an urban coalfield (UK

  27. Land Use In Wolverhampton City Key Industrial Residential Allotments Cemeteries Green Belt Other Open Space Public Open Space Sports Grounds Railway Unclassified

  28. Lead in surface soils (-2mm) Wolverhampton ppm percentile 1342 99 637 95 475 90 297 75 181 50 117 25 98 15 87 10 75 5

  29. Urban Environmental GIS

  30. GIS LAYERS • TOPOGRPHICAL LAYER (1:50K) • PLANNING MAPS • LANDSAT IMAGES • GEOLOGY LAYERS BEDROCK SUPERFICIAL DEPOSITS FAULTS/STRUCTURAL GEOHAZARDS

  31. Screen-based Query: Planning Zones and Minerals Resources LowCost Housing ISRAEL Aqaba City IndustrialZone Tourist Facilities Port Facilities

  32. AQABA’S COMPETING NEEDS: TOURISM; PORT; INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT

  33. Query using satellite imagery Imran Monzogranite Gulf of Aqaba • Imran Monzogranite: • Industrial feldspar prospect • Exploited for marble • Non-aquifer

  34. PLANNING ZONES AND GEOLOGY

  35. Query using Satellite Image and Geological Map Yammaniya Clay

  36. Query - LandslipUsing Satellite Image and Map with explanatory photograph LANDSLIP ZONE

  37. Reporting GIS data to end-users Superficial deposits at site Taplow gravels Artificial deposits at site made ground < 5m Boreholes at site None Solid geology London Clay Boreholes within search radius Reference TQ48SW19 Length - 3.65m Name - Metropolitan Borough works no 48 E - 542560 N - 0182280

  38. IT REQUIREMENTS: URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL GIS Computer hardware • PC; Pentium II/III processor with + 64 Mb RAM; 4 Mb video card; and 17inch colour monitor. • Hewlett Packard Ink-jet 450C AO Colour ink-jet plotter. • Epsom GT 12000A3 colour scanner. • Digitiser (or use bureau facilities) Computer software • GIS software eg: MapInfo Professional/ ARCVIEW • Microsoft Office Pro 98 English & Small business edition, plus • Computer Database eg: ACCESS or ORACLE • Landsat TM digital data on CD

  39. Essentials of Good Practice for Planning Authorities • commitment and awareness - earth science data • increase availability and accessibility • efficient storage, handling & retrieval of earth science data • develop a procedural framework • make use of expert advice • allocate resources (data collection/archives)

  40. Problem solving for planners and developersStep 1:Identify constraints and opportunities in area • discuss with local & regional experts (eg. Geol. Survey) • obtain all relevant earth science data • assess adequacy & completeness of information • specify and obtain new information (where necessary) • identify & define extent of hazards, resources & conservation opportunities • assess significance of these factors on land-use planning • seek additional expert advice where necessary (geotechnical/groundwater/environmental/mining consultants)

  41. Problem solving for planners and developersStep 2:Storage and handling of earth science data • Archival records (maps, records, SI) • Computerised Databases (spreadsheets and relational databases) • Geographical Information Systems (GIS) • Output in the form of easy to use maps and guides designed for the non-specialist

  42. Problem solving for planners and developersStep 3:Regional and National Planning Guidance • aimed at regulating the development and use of land in the public interest to provide: • guidance: to public and private sector • incentive: to local authorities to make best use of land • control: prevent development against the public interest & allow consideration of all stakeholders

  43. Insurance: a way of mitigating post-catastrophe loss in the developing world? • Efficient means of getting funds ‘on the ground’ quickly after a natural catastrophe • Funds come directly from international financial institutions • Concept supported by the Development Banks; aid funds contribute to premiums • Risk must be interpreted, processed and presented in a form useable by the financial industry

  44. High resolution decision-support systems for geoscience knowledge Assessing geological risk for the Insurance industry • Helps companies understand their exposure to potential hazards • A postcode based system • provides a quantitative assessment • reduces geology to a number !

  45. CONCLUSIONS • The Way Forward: Political Realism and Practical Steps • Politically difficult: ‘Out of public sight - out of political mind’ • Regulatory intervention: Long term benefits vs. Immediate public impact • BUT: To postpone protection/regulation policies leads to more costly and intractable problems in the long run • Requires consensus - through public debate with stakeholders

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