Rainfall and Landslide Susceptibility in Hakha Environ in Northern Chin State, Myanmar

This research emphasizes the cause of landslides that occur in Hakha Town and its environ. The main aim is to investigate the distinct phenomena that result in a landslide and to provide suggestions that can reduce the risk of landslide in its prone area. Regarding the two phenomena, natural and man-made, the data on soil, steep slope, monsoon rainfall, pine forest areas, water sources, motor-car road area, population, and houses were collected by field survey, observation, and questionnaires. The collected data were processed and analyzed by using remote sensing methods, qualitative and quantitative methods, and Geographic Information System. According to the results, major causes of the landslides in the study area are found to be due to location lying between 1,830 meters (6,000 ft) and 2,440 meters (8,000 ft) above sea level and establishing of the settlements on steep slopes, receiving plenty of rainfall under the mountain climate with the extremely cold winter season, the existence of unstable and unconsolidated soil and lithology, extending construction of new roads and expansion of the existing roads, population growth and settling of more people in the urban area, and collapsing of big old pine trees. In conclusion, landslides in the study area are found resulting from combined activities of physical factors and human impacts.

Long-Term Impacts of Weather Conditions on Indoor Radon Concentration Measurements in Switzerland

Radon is a natural and radioactive gas that can accumulate in indoor environments. Indoor radon concentration (IRC) is influenced, among other factors, by meteorology, which is the subject of this paper. Weather parameters impact indoor radon levels and have already been investigated, but rarely in Switzerland. Moreover, there is a strong need for a better understanding of the radon behaviour inside buildings in Switzerland for public health concerns as Switzerland is a radon prone area. Based on long-term, continuous, and hourly radon measurements, radon distributions classified according to different weather event definitions were investigated and then compared at three different study sites in Western Switzerland. Outdoor temperature influences the most indoor radon, and it is globally anti-correlated. Wind influences indoor radon, but it strongly depends on intensity, direction, and building characteristics. Precipitation influences periodically indoor radon levels relatively to their intensity. Atmospheric pressure and relative humidity do not seem to be huge determinants on IRC. Our results are in line with previous findings and provide a vivid example in Western Switzerland. This paper underlines the different influence complexities of radon, and the need to communicate about it within the broader public and with construction professionals, to raise awareness.

How Indonesian People in the Past Deal with Disaster Mitigation? An archaeological perspective

Bencana alam adalah bagian dari riwayat bangsa kita sejak masa prasejarah. Meskipun bencana alam merupakan hal yang tidak terpisahkan dari kehidupan masyarakat Indonesia, namun disadari masih kurang kesadaran dan kesiapan terhadap kondisi ini. Hal tersebut ditunjukkan dengan tingginya angka kerugian material dan non material dalam setiap kejadian bencana. Keadaan ini disebabkan oleh belum optimalnya pelaksanaan penanggulangan bencana di Indonesia, khususnya dalam mitigasi bencana. Untuk merumuskan konsepsi baru penanggulangan bencana, masyarakat saat ini harus belajar menghadapi bencana alam dari manusia di masa lalu. Nilai dan kearifan lokal masih relevan hingga saat ini karena kita hidup di nusantara yang sama. Sebagai ilmu yang mempelajari budaya manusia yang telah punah, arkeologi dapat membantu menjelaskan sejarah bencana di suatu wilayah dan dampaknya terhadap kehidupan manusia di masa lalu. Dengan menggunakan pendekatan studi kepustakaan, tulisan ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan aksi mitigasi bencana yang dilakukan oleh leluhur bangsa Indonesia sebagai acuan mitigasi bencana di zaman modern ini. Setidaknya ada dua sorotan nilai yang masih relevan. Pertama, pembinaan mental dan karakter masyarakat yang tinggal di daerah rawan bencana, dan kedua pembangunan fisik mengenai sifat bencana di masing-masing daerah. A natural disaster is part of our nation’s journey from the prehistoric era. Even though natural disaster is an inseparable matter with Indonesian people’s lives, but there is still a lack of awareness and readiness due to this issue. The high number sees it as material and non-material losses in every disaster event. This situation is caused by non-optimally disaster management implementation in Indonesia, especially in disaster mitigation. To formulate the new conception of disaster management, modern people should learn how to deal with natural disasters from ancient people. Values and local wisdom are still relevant today since we live in the same archipelago. As a science that studies extinct human culture, archaeology can help explain the history of disasters in a region and its impact on human life in the past. Using the literature study approach, this paper aims to describe disaster mitigation actions implemented by Indonesia’s ancestors as a reference to disaster mitigation in modern times. At least there are two highlights of values that are still relevant. First is the mental and character building of people who live in a disaster-prone area, and second is the physical development regarding the nature of disaster in each region.

Corrosion Detection of Structural Reinforcement Based on Artificial Intelligence Technology

Due to the environmental degradation caused by soil erosion, it is of great significance to establish the relationship model between geological environmental factors and piping erosion. The method to determine the prone area of pipeline corrosion is limited. This paper introduces the mechanism of reinforcement corrosion, points out the non-destructive detection methods of common steel corrosion, and puts forward the measures to prevent and maintain the corrosion of reinforcement from the aspects of design, construction and material selection, so as to prolong the service life of concrete structure. Abrasion, capitation and chemical attack in concrete hydraulic structures can lead to deterioration of spillways, stilling basins, chutes, slabs and transverse joints, concrete blocks under sluices and any irregular surfaces affected by high flow rates. There are numerous coatings on the market that can be used to repair damaged surfaces. However, the basic data provided by the manufacturer is very limited, and if so, it is usually limited to room temperature values. The results show that the data of concrete, corrosion solution and chloride ion are 0.534, 0.673 and 0.384 respectively.

Cracking Behavior and Acoustic Emission Characteristics of Rock Containing a Single Preexisting Flaw

The existence of flaws in brittle rocks or rock-like materials has an obvious influence on the material mechanical properties and cracking behavior of civil engineering projects. In this work, the two-dimensional particle flow code PFC2D was used to study the deformation and strength properties, failure processes, and acoustic emission (AE) characteristics of mudstone with a single preexisting flaw. First, the procedure to construct a parallel bond model is introduced. The Weibull distribution is used to reflect the mechanical heterogeneity of rocks. Then, the microscopic parameters used in PFC2D are calibrated to the macroproperties of mudstone obtained from laboratory tests under the uniaxial compression. The results indicate that the increases of the flaw inclination lead to the increasing uniaxial compressive strength and elastic modulus. In terms of microcrack evolution, the initiation, propagation, and coalescence of microcracks are closely related to the force chain. Specifically, an “X” shaped tension force chain concentrated area around the preexisting flaw is founded, which is the most prone area for microcracks to initiate. With an increase in flaw inclination, the b value of AE also shows an increasing trend. By incorporating the AE event numbers into a damage variable, this paper derives a constitutive model, which is verified by numerical results on brittle rocks with a single preexisting flaw under uniaxial compression.

Pengaruh Penyuluhan Siaga Bencana terhadap Peningkatan Preparedness Bencana Gempa Bumi dan Tsunami Masyarakat Pesisir Pantai Negeri Rutah Kabupaten Maluku Tengah

Indonesia, including the Maluku Islands, is included in an earthquake and tsunami-prone area because it is the meeting point of the Eurasian Plate and the Australian Plate. Improving preparedness aims to prepare people, so they don't panic too much when a disaster occurs to save themselves and their families from minimizing losses. Most of the people of Negeri Rutah work as fishermen and move around the coast, thus placing the community at high risk of earthquakes and tsunamis. This quantitative research uses a quasi-experimental method: pre-post test without a control group. The research sample is the coastal community of the State of Rutah, totaling 84 families. Counseling using disaster preparedness videos and earthquake and tsunami booklets. The results showed that didn't normally distribute the data with the Wilcoxon test results before and after intervention, p-value=0.001 (p<0.005), meaning that there was a significant effect of counseling on emergency response to the earthquake and tsunami on increasing preparedness of coastal communities in Negeri Rutah. The community and local government are expected to follow updates related to disaster preparedness, either seeking information through social media or participating in disaster-related socialization.

MAPPING A ERUPTION DISASTER-PRONE AREA IN THE BROMO-TENGGER-SEMERU NATIONAL TOURISM STRATEGIC AREA (CASE STUDY OF MOUNT SEMERU, INDONESIA)

Tourism is a sector of the world's economy, a macro-industry, and dynamic that has the fastest growth rate in the world. Tourism is often associated with beauty and pleasure. But behind that tourism is an economic activity that is very vulnerable to natural disasters, including volcanic eruptions. Management of tourism mapping in the Semeru Volcano disaster-prone area (Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park Tourism Strategic Area) can be used as a reference in development guidelines, disaster mitigation, and recovery in tourist areas. Thus, the purpose of this study is to produce a mapping of disaster-prone areas and the distribution of tourist attractions around Semeru Volcano. The research method used is the use of ArcGIS and Microsoft Excel applications. The data used is from the Population, Tourism, and Disaster Data of Semeru Volcano. The analysis technique uses map buffering and overlaying. Based on the results of the mapping, 57 villages are predicted to be affected and experience heavy losses. The number of villages is divided into 17 villages in Malang Regency and 40 villages in Lumajang Regency. These villages belong to several sub-districts, namely Ampelgading, Poncokusumo, Tirto Yudo, Wajak, Pasrujambe, Candipuro, Pronojiwo, Pasirian, Candipuro, Tempursari, Tempeh, Sumbersuko, and Tempursari. In addition, these disaster-prone areas are areas that have a lot of tourism potential. Most of the tourist attractions are affected by the eruption zone and affected by the lava flow. The tourism objects studied in this study amounted to 23. While the tourist objects that are classified as safe amounted to 11 objects. All tourist attractions around Semeru Volcano require the provision of pre-disaster knowledge, disaster mitigation, and restoration of tourist areas. With this knowledge, tourism will become the main economic sector of the community and can recover quickly after volcanic activity.

Potential of Community Volunteers in Flood Early Warning Dissemination: A Case Study of Bangladesh

Flood early warning (FEW) is a vital component of disaster risk management and is particularly important for saving lives, developing a sustainable agro-based economy, economic stability, and the overall development of the people of Bangladesh as well as others. This study was conducted in a northern, flood-prone area of Bangladesh to investigate the potential of incorporating volunteers of the community to the Union Councils (UCs) to disseminate FEW alongside the top-down approach. Several studies have found that despite having a sophisticated flood forecasting technology, local communities are not reaping the benefits of it, as the existing dissemination system is inaccessible to most local people. Since risk communication takes place in a social context, this study investigated and thereby proposed that volunteerism, as a form of social capital or communal virtue, can potentially assist the community-based disaster management (CBDM) institutions in enhancing their capacity to reach the maximum population at times of flood risk. Therefore, it was confirmed that the trained volunteers need to be integrated into and endorsed by the national policy. In addition, this study also provides a number of recommendations connecting literature with policy documents of Bangladesh.

Flood-Prone Area Delineation in Urban Subbasins Based on Stream Ordering: Culiacan Urban Basin as a Study Case

Urban development decreases infiltration, increases the runoff velocity, and reduces the concentration times. This situation increases the flood risk in urban watersheds, which represent a management challenge for urban communities and authorities. To increase the resilience of communities due to modifications of the hydrological cycle produced by climate change and urban development, a methodology is proposed to delineate flood-prone areas in urban basins. This methodology is implemented in an urban subbasin of Culiacan, Mexico, and is based on stream order. A high-resolution digital elevation model was used, which was validated independently through a photogrammetric flight with an unmanned aerial vehicle and ground control points obtained with GNSS (global navigation satellite systems) receivers. Morphometric parameters related to geometry, shape, relief, and drainage network aspects of the subbasin were determined and analyzed. Then, flood-prone area zonation was carried out based on stream-order classification and flow direction. Fieldwork was also carried out for the inspection of the sewage network conditions. This methodology simplifies the identification of the flood-prone areas in urban subbasins without carrying out complex hydraulic calculations.

Numerical Simulation of Random Cavitation Suppression Based on Variable NACA Airfoils

In order to suppress the cavitation of an airfoil under random operating conditions, a deformable covering was constructed in the cavitation prone area of the NACA0012 airfoil. By sensing the pressure difference between the inner and outer sides of the airfoil, the covering of the airfoil can be changed adaptively to meet the requirement of suppressing random cavitation of the airfoil. The simulation results show that the cavitation influence range of the airfoil with a shape memory alloy covering can be reduced by more than 70%, and the cavitation is well reduced and suppressed. Moreover, the backflow near the wall of the airfoil was reduced under random working conditions. When the maximum bulge deformation of the covering was between 3–6 mm, the airfoil produced a cavitation range only on the covering surface of the airfoil, and there was no cavitation erosion on other parts. This method with locally variable airfoil to suppress cavitation provides a good reference value for other hydraulic machinery to suppress cavitation.