Summary
On Crete Island, Greece, floods have become frequent and catastrophic under climate change. In the case study of Giofyros River, the city of Heraklion, to complement the Integrated Flood Management (IFM) model, a social component has been added. The new model is based on conflict resolution between human activities and hydrological/hydraulic laws. This model uses the observation that historically, water-human interactions have been and remain contradictory, i.e. at the same time conflictual and cooperative. To increase flood security, firstly the conflicts are assessed and analyzed; secondly, by unifying the opposite water-human interactions, a dialectic flood resilient solution is obtained.
Background
A historical review indicates that the way humans manage water-related issues reflects their relationship with nature. This has continuously oscillated between two opposites: conflict and cooperation. In ancient times, nature and water were respected as divinities. At the same time, water was hostile because it originated catastrophic floods. Humans have conceived their interaction with nature as a balance of power between natural forces and their capacity to regulate them. After the second industrial revolution (1870-1970), they felt able to dominate nature. The construction of the pharaonic Hoover Dam in 1935 is a milestone for the engineering profession to serve human interests by modifying and regulating nature. The water-human relationship is also reflected in the water resources management model that has been in constant temporal evolution. In the late 20th century, the IFM model was promoted as the state-of-the-art tool integrating water resources, land use, and risk management. In this case study, we claim that the IFM model is anthropocentric and technocratic, and because it neglects the social dimension it is unable to achieve high flood resilience.
To illustrate the eristic-dialectical model, the case study focuses on the Giofyros River, Crete Island, Greece. Giofyros is one of the biggest streams of this Mediterranean island that outfall the Aegean Sea through the western suburbs of the city of Heraklion. On 13th January 1994, a devastating flood occurred in the Giofyros basin, after a series of the following events.
- Rainfall. The total rainfall recorded on the day of the flood was about 185 mm, equal to about half of the mean annual precipitation in the region of Heraklion. A maximum rainfall intensity of 37 mm/h has been recorded, and in 6 hours, which is about the retention time for the Giofyros basin, total rainfall of 143 mm has been recorded.
- Soil. The soil was almost completely saturated because rainfall of a light intensity had persisted several days before the critical storm.
- Deforestation and the removal of several hectares of vineyards during the months preceding the storm have increased the intensity of the flood.
Many houses near the coast were flooded and damage was evaluated at several hundreds of thousands of Euros. The most important effect of the flood was the damage caused to the city’s wastewater treatment plant. Many of the plant’s reservoirs, made of concrete, were rendered unserviceable or completely destroyed by the force of the incoming water.
In our case study, a new eristic-dialectical approach is suggested to complement IFM by adding a social component to increase flood resilience. The new model proceeds in two steps: (a) firstly, possible conflicts between stakeholders’ activities and natural laws are assessed (Eristic Analysis), and (b) secondly, by unifying the opposite objectives through a dialectical approach a flood resilient solution is achieved (Dialectical Resolution).
This case study has been originated from a catastrophic flood that happened in January 1994 in Heraklion, the capital city of Crete Island. The city authorities were deeply concerned by the severity of the flood that damaged many private houses and public property in the coastal area of the city.
Case study
