Microsoft word - daca 2t project description.doc

Introduction
Economic activities in flood-prone areas are increasing around the world. At the same time we face
changing weather conditions and a rising sea level as a result of climatic change. If no measures
are carried out both probability and impact of floods will increase severely. In the Netherlands flood
hazard and flood damage are combined in a risk-approach using a cost-benefit analysis for
proposed measures. In this approach, risk is defined as the product of probability of flooding and
impact of flooding. HKV CONSULTANTS, ITC and the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and
Water management have now joined hands to collaborate with Thailand and investigate whether
the Dutch approach to flood damage assessment would be of value in the Lower Mekong River
Basin in Thailand. Therefore they formulated a pilot project called ‘DACA’ (Damage and Casualties
Assessment) in the province of Chiang Rai. Its objective is to develop a damage assessment model
for the 2T Kok River Basin by adapting HIS-SSM to serve the preferences of local, regional and/ or
national decision-makers. The resulting instrument can be used for ex-ante examination of flood
risk in Chiang Rai and evaluation of expected benefits if measures are taken. Using water levels
and their return period of occurrence, the model can be used to answer question such as:
What is the present flood risk in this region What are the expected benefits if measures are taken
Cost-benefit analysis and the use of DACA in The Netherlands
Since January 1st 2007 a cost-benefit analysis is obligatory for all infrastructural measures of
national importance. The analysis encompasses the assessment of all positive and negative effects
on safety, economy and quality of living of proposed measures. The effects are expressed in
monetary terms. The cost-benefit analysis applied for flood management infrastructure includes an
assessment of the change in risk (where risk is defined as probability * impact). To determine the
change in risk the damage model DACA is used. Although the decision-making is not dependent on
the outcome of the cost-benefit analysis alone, it is increasingly used to determine the added value
of a proposed project. Critics disqualify the approach because the outcome is approximate. General
notion however is that using this method we have a better grasp of the benefits of a new project
and it can be used to justify economic efficient public investments.
Application of cost-benefit analysis in the Lower Mekong Delta
Whether the Dutch damage model and its economic valuation of flood damage is applicable also in
the Lower Mekong Delta is subject of this study. Surely there will be advocates and there will be
opponents, similar to The Netherlands. We already know that land-use, economic characteristics
and flood characteristics are different from The Netherlands and also the decision-making
structures differ. In order to find out to what extent and under what conditions such damage model
is feasible we initiated this project and aim to develop DACA for 2T Kok River Basin.
Activities and results
The proposed project consists of three components:
1) Development of DACA 2T: On the basis of Dutch HIS-SSM, the interface of DACA will be adjusted to serve the preferences of local, regional and/ or national decision-makers in the 2T Kok River Basin. The underlying land-use characteristics will be gathered and evaluated and damage functions and maximum damage values will be drawn up and imported in the damage model. Result is a full functioning DACA 2T. 2) Demonstration of DACA 2T for different flood scenarios: The model will be demonstrated for different flood scenarios. Aim is to determine three normative flood scenarios and determine the resulting flood damage using DACA 2T. E.g. it would be interesting to determine the damage for an historic flood, a normative flash flood and a normative backwater flood scenario. 3) Dissemination of results: A 5-day training is scheduled in which possible users of DACA are invited to run and test the damage model. Besides an actual training on how to use DACA we will jointly develop normative flood scenarios, run DACA and test its results and conclusively investigate the possibilities of using DACA in other regions in the Lower Mekong Basin. The results will be incorporated in the final report on DACA 2T and where necessary in the damage model DACA itself. If the application of DACA 2T is considered a success a final seminar will be organised in which it will be demonstrated to a larger audience.
Partners
HKV CONSULTANTS, ITC and Dutch Public Works have joined hands to co-operate in this project. Their
motivation to invest in this project is twofold:
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As a consortium they would like contribute to a safe and prosperous world. They feel that the Dutch risk approach and as part of it flood damage modeling, play key role in getting there. HKV CONSULTANTS is a private company and is interested to propagate the risk approach and flood damage modeling in the abroad. HKV CONSULTANTS has supported the Dutch government successfully for more than ten years now1 and would like to extend their services. The project is financed 20% by the above partners HKV and ITC and 80% by the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands. Their program called “Partners for Water” aims at strengthening the international position of the Dutch water sector by funding applications of innovative solutions, which already have been applied successfully in the Netherlands, for the water problems in our world. The Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management in the Netherlands has given their approval to use the Dutch model as ground layer for the development of DACA in the proposed pilot area in Chiang Rai. 1 Amongst others with the economic valuation method in the Dutch DACA and setting up the procedures for cost-benefit

Source: http://www.hkv.nl/Upload/Bestanden/474913_DACA_2T_Project_Description.pdf