Enhancing Co-Benefits and reducing Flood Risks through Nature-based Solutions and Assessments: A Case Study in the Dead Sea Region of Jordan

Authors

  • Huseyin Gokcekus Department of Civil Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty, Near East University, Nicosia, Cyprus | Energy, Environment, and Water Research Center, Near East University, Nicosia, Cyprus
  • Youssef Kassem Department of Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Near East University, Nicosia, Cyprus | Energy, Environment, and Water Research Center, Near East University, Nicosia, Cyprus | Science, Technology, Engineering Education Application and Research Center, Near East University, Nicosia, Cyprus
  • Nour Alijl International Designers Company, Amman, Jordan | Department of Civil Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty, Near East University, Nicosia, Cyprus
Volume: 14 | Issue: 5 | Pages: 16450-16459 | October 2024 | https://doi.org/10.48084/etasr.7944

Abstract

The integration of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a crucial step in the restoration of ecosystems and the mitigation of the effects of urbanization and climate-induced flooding. Moreover, National Statistical Policies (NSP) and SDGs have notably diminished flood and hydrogeological risk in developed countries. Nevertheless, developing countries like Jordan have encountered difficulties in implementing NSP and SDG. Accordingly, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the feasibility of implementing NBS in the Jordanian Dead Sea (DS) area for the first time. To this end, a novel approach was proposed, integrating the NBS and SDGs with the SA-GIS and Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) approaches, with the objective of addressing the severe issue of urban floods in the DS area. Furthermore, a life-cycle cost-benefit analysis was employed to comprehensively assess costs and benefits over a specified time frame, utilizing key indicators such as Net Present Value (NPV) and the Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR). The findings revealed that detention ponds, vegetated swales, rain gardens, and rainwater harvesting have BCR values exceeding one, suggesting that incorporating co-benefits into economic assessments significantly enhances the economic efficiency and viability of NBS. In conclusion, the proposed method can be applied globally and serves as a viable strategy for advancing sustainable urban growth and reducing the risk of disasters in developing countries like Jordan.

Keywords:

nature-based solutions, Dead Sea, flood risk, co-benefits, economic assessment

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

"2013 floods a ‘turning point’," United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Jun. 25, 2013. http://www.undrr.org/news/2013-floods-turning-point

Y. Kassem, H. Gökçekuş, and N. Alijl, "Flash Flood Risk Assessment for Girne Region, Northern Cyprus," Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 8728–8737, Jun. 2022.

N. Harkat, S. Chaouche, and M. Bencherif, "Flood Hazard Spatialization Applied to The City of Batna: A Methodological Approach," Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 5748–5758, Jun. 2020.

N. Kumar and R. Jha, "GIS-based Flood Risk Mapping: The Case Study of Kosi River Basin, Bihar, India," Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 9830–9836, Feb. 2023.

V. A. Jha, J. B. Patel, V. A. Sawant, and Y. K. Tandel, "Flood Hazard Assessment of Water-Front Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil Wall for Dam Regulation Rule Level," International Journal of Engineering, vol. 36, no. 4, pp. 640–648, Apr. 2023.

Towards an EU research and innovation policy agenda for nature-based solutions & re-naturing cities: final report of the Horizon 2020 expert group on ’Nature based solutions and re naturing cities’ : (full version). Brussels, Belgium: Publications Office of the European Union, 2015.

Z. S. Venter, D. N. Barton, L. Martinez-Izquierdo, J. Langemeyer, F. Baró, and T. McPhearson, "Interactive spatial planning of urban green infrastructure – Retrofitting green roofs where ecosystem services are most needed in Oslo," Ecosystem Services, vol. 50, Aug. 2021, Art. no. 101314.

M. Masiero et al., "Urban Forests and Green Areas as Nature-Based Solutions for Brownfield Redevelopment: A Case Study from Brescia Municipal Area (Italy)," Forests, vol. 13, no. 3, Mar. 2022, Art. no. 444.

H. Eggermont et al., "Nature-based Solutions: New Influence for Environmental Management and Research in Europe," GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, vol. 24, no. 4, pp. 243–248, Jan. 2015.

R. P. Snep, J. G. Voeten, G. Mol, and T. Van Hattum, "Nature Based Solutions for Urban Resilience: A Distinction Between No-Tech, Low-Tech and High-Tech Solutions," Frontiers in Environmental Science, vol. 8, Dec. 2020, Art. no. 599060.

C. M. Raymond et al., "A framework for assessing and implementing the co-benefits of nature-based solutions in urban areas," Environmental Science & Policy, vol. 77, pp. 15–24, Nov. 2017.

A. Chausson et al., "Mapping the effectiveness of nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation," Global Change Biology, vol. 26, no. 11, pp. 6134–6155, 2020.

M. V. Balzan, G. Zulian, J. Maes, and M. Borg, "Assessing urban ecosystem services to prioritise nature-based solutions in a high-density urban area," Nature-Based Solutions, vol. 1, Dec. 2021, Art. no. 100007.

M. Shawaqfah, F. Almomani, and A. Khatatbeh, "Mapping Flash Flood Potential and Risk Level Using GIS Techniques and the Flash Flood Potential Index (FFPI) in Amman Zarqa Basin of Jordan," Jordanian Journal of Engineering and Chemical Industries, vol. 3, pp. 64–73, Dec. 2020.

A. Alananzeh and H. Alshraifat, "Flooding Prediction in Wadi Zarqa Ma’in Basin, Jordan: A Study in Applied Geomorphology," Dirasat: Human and Social Sciences, vol. 49, no. 6, pp. 418–438, Nov. 2022.

IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions, 1st ed. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN, 2020.

P. Kumar et al., "Nature-based solutions efficiency evaluation against natural hazards: Modelling methods, advantages and limitations," Science of The Total Environment, vol. 784, Aug. 2021, Art. no. 147058.

N. Seddon, A. Chausson, P. Berry, C. A. J. Girardin, A. Smith, and B. Turner, "Understanding the value and limits of nature-based solutions to climate change and other global challenges," Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, vol. 375, no. 1794, Jan. 2020, Art. no. 20190120.

E. Di Pirro et al., "The Embeddedness of Nature-Based Solutions in the Recovery and Resilience Plans as Multifunctional Approaches to Foster the Climate Transition: The Cases of Italy and Portugal," Land, vol. 11, no. 8, Aug. 2022, Art. no. 1254.

H. Jia, Z. Wang, X. Zhen, M. Clar, and S. L. Yu, "China’s sponge city construction: A discussion on technical approaches," Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, vol. 11, no. 4, Aug. 2017, Art. no. 18.

L. Ruangpan et al., "Nature-based solutions for hydro-meteorological risk reduction: a state-of-the-art review of the research area," Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 243–270, Jan. 2020.

P. Asare, F. Atun, and K. Pfeffer, "Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) in spatial planning for urban flood mitigation: The perspective of flood management experts in Accra," Land Use Policy, vol. 133, Oct. 2023, Art. no. 106865.

M. Ghafourian, P. Stanchev, A. Mousavi, and E. Katsou, "Economic assessment of nature-based solutions as enablers of circularity in water systems," Science of The Total Environment, vol. 792, Oct. 2021, Art. no. 148267.

P. Le Coent et al., "Economic Assessment of Nature-Based Solutions for Water-Related Risks," in Greening Water Risks: Natural Assurance Schemes, E. López-Gunn, P. van der Keur, N. Van Cauwenbergh, P. Le Coent, and R. Giordano, Eds. Cham,Germany: Springer International Publishing, 2023, pp. 91–112.

L. Ruangpan et al., "Economic assessment of nature-based solutions to reduce flood risk and enhance co-benefits," Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 352, Feb. 2024, Art. no. 119985.

B. S. Ciasca et al., "Economic Cost of Drought and Potential Benefits of Investing in Nature-Based Solutions: A Case Study in São Paulo, Brazil," Water, vol. 15, no. 3, Jan. 2023, Art. no. 466.

D. La Rosa and R. Privitera, Eds., Innovation in Urban and Regional Planning: Proceedings of the 11th INPUT Conference - Volume 1, Cham,Germany: Springer International Publishing, 2021.

R. Crauderueff, S. Margolis, and S. Tanikawa, Greening Vacant Lots: Planning and Implementation Strategies. New York, NY, USA: The Nature Conservancy:, 2012.

J. B. Almenar, C. Petucco, G. Sonnemann, D. Geneletti, T. Elliot, and B. Rugani, "Modelling the net environmental and economic impacts of urban nature-based solutions by combining ecosystem services, system dynamics and life cycle thinking: An application to urban forests," Ecosystem Services, vol. 60, Apr. 2023, Art. no. 101506.

S. Shahab, "Transaction Costs in Planning Literature: A Systematic Review," Journal of Planning Literature, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 403–414, Aug. 2022.

G. Giuliano, G. Knatz, N. Hutson, C. Sys, T. Vanelslander, and V. Carlan, Decision-making for Maritime Innovation Investments: The Significance of Cost Benefit and Cost Effectiveness Analysis. University, Faculty of Applied Economics, 2016.

A. Alves, Z. Vojinovic, Z. Kapelan, A. Sanchez, and B. Gersonius, "Exploring trade-offs among the multiple benefits of green-blue-grey infrastructure for urban flood mitigation," Science of The Total Environment, vol. 703, Feb. 2020, Art. no. 134980.

E. Calliari, A. Staccione, and J. Mysiak, "An assessment framework for climate-proof nature-based solutions," Science of The Total Environment, vol. 656, pp. 691–700, Mar. 2019.

Y. Kassem, H. Gökçekuş, and N. Alijl, "Gridded Precipitation Datasets and Gauge Precipitation Products for Driving Hydrological Models in the Dead Sea Region, Jordan," Sustainability, vol. 15, no. 15, pp. 1–29, 2023.

H. Gökçekuş, "Flash Flood Risk Mitigation Plan: Zarqa Ma‘in Basin, Along The Dead Sea In Jordan," International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, vol. 9, no. 03, pp. 4089–4095, 2020.

H. Alhasanat, "Flash Flood Assessment for Wadi Mousa City-Jordan," Procedia Economics and Finance, vol. 18, pp. 675–683, Jan. 2014.

E. Scharifi, A. Danilenko, U. Weidig, and K. Steinhoff, "Influence of plastic deformation gradients at room temperature on precipitation kinetics and mechanical properties of high- strength aluminum alloys," Journal of Engineering Research and Application, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 42–48, 2019.

B. van Zanten et al., Assessing the Benefits and Costs of Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Resilience: A Guideline for Project Developers. Washington, D.C., USA: The World Bank, 2023.

A. Longobardi, R. D’Ambrosio, and M. Mobilia, "Predicting Stormwater Retention Capacity of Green Roofs: An Experimental Study of the Roles of Climate, Substrate Soil Moisture, and Drainage Layer Properties," Sustainability, vol. 11, no. 24, Jan. 2019, Art. no. 6956.

E. S. Lee, D. K. Lee, S. H. Kim, and K. C. Lee, "Design strategies to reduce surface water flooding in a historical district," Journal of Flood Risk Management, vol. 11, no. S2, pp. 838–854, 2018.

S. Shamout, P. Boarin, and S. Wilkinson, "The shift from sustainability to resilience as a driver for policy change: a policy analysis for more resilient and sustainable cities in Jordan," Sustainable Production and Consumption, vol. 25, pp. 285–298, Jan. 2021.

R. Alawneh, F. Ghazali, H. Ali, and A. F. Sadullah, "A Novel framework for integrating United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into sustainable non-residential building assessment and management in Jordan," Sustainable Cities and Society, vol. 49, Aug. 2019, Art. no. 101612.

R. Cervigni and H. Naber, Achieving sustainable development in Jordan : country environmental analysis. Washington, D.C., USA: The World Bank, 2010.

B. A. M. Fraihat et al., "Evaluating Technology Improvement in Sustainable Development Goals by Analysing Financial Development and Energy Consumption in Jordan," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 348–355, 2023.

E. E. Koks, M. Bočkarjova, H. de Moel, and J. C. J. H. Aerts, "Integrated Direct and Indirect Flood Risk Modeling: Development and Sensitivity Analysis," Risk Analysis, vol. 35, no. 5, pp. 882–900, 2015.

S. W. Delelegn, A. Pathirana, B. Gersonius, A. G. Adeogun, and K. Vairavamoorthy, "Multi-objective optimisation of cost-benefit of urban flood management using a 1D2D coupled model," Water Science and Technology: A Journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research, vol. 63, no. 5, pp. 1053–1059.

L. Ruangpan et al., "Incorporating stakeholders’ preferences into a multi-criteria framework for planning large-scale Nature-Based Solutions," Ambio, vol. 50, no. 8, pp. 1514–1531, Aug. 2021.

L. Brander, Guidance Manual on Value Transfer Methods for Ecosystem Services, Nairobi, Kenya: United Nations Environment Programme, Ecosystem Services Economics Unit, 2015.

E. J. Dominati, D. A. Robinson, S. C. Marchant, K. L. Bristow, and A. D. Mackay, "Natural Capital, Ecological Infrastructure, and Ecosystem Services in Agroecosystems," in Encyclopedia of Agriculture and Food Systems, N. K. Van Alfen, Ed. Oxford: Academic Press, 2014, pp. 245–264.

D. Sartor and M. Marra, Economic Appraisal Vademecum 2021-2027 - General Principles and Sector Applications. Brussels, Belgium: European Commission, 2021.

M. Cahill, D. C. Godwin, and J. H. Tilt, Porous Pavement: Low-impact development fact sheet. Oregon, USA: Oregon State University, 2018.

A Catalogue of Nature-Based Solutions for Urban Resilience. Washington, DC, USA: The World Bank, 2021.

J. C. J. H. Aerts, "A Review of Cost Estimates for Flood Adaptation," Water, vol. 10, no. 11, Nov. 2018, Art. no. 1646.

P. Strosser, G. Delacámara, A. Hanus, H. Williams, and N. Jaritt, A guide to support the selection, design and implementation of natural water retention measures in Europe: capturing the multiple benefits of nature based solutions. Brussels, Belgium: European Commission, 2014.

R. Pudar, J. Plavšić, and A. Todorović, "Evaluation of Green and Grey Flood Mitigation Measures in Rural Watersheds," Applied Sciences, vol. 10, no. 19, Jan. 2020, Art. no. 6913.

L. Carrera, G. Standardi, F. Bosello, and J. Mysiak, "Assessing direct and indirect economic impacts of a flood event through the integration of spatial and computable general equilibrium modelling," Environmental Modelling & Software, vol. 63, pp. 109–122, Jan. 2015.

A. Alves, B. Gersonius, Z. Kapelan, Z. Vojinovic, and A. Sanchez, "Assessing the Co-Benefits of green-blue-grey infrastructure for sustainable urban flood risk management," Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 239, pp. 244–254, Jun. 2019.

Downloads

How to Cite

[1]
Gokcekus, H., Kassem, Y. and Alijl, N. 2024. Enhancing Co-Benefits and reducing Flood Risks through Nature-based Solutions and Assessments: A Case Study in the Dead Sea Region of Jordan. Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research. 14, 5 (Oct. 2024), 16450–16459. DOI:https://doi.org/10.48084/etasr.7944.

Metrics

Abstract Views: 127
PDF Downloads: 307

Metrics Information

Most read articles by the same author(s)

<< < 1 2