Assessing the effectiveness of flood management

: a comparative study between Turkey and the UK

Abstract

Flooding is a serious hydrological hazard that affects more people globally than any other type of threat, with urbanization and climate change increasing the occurrence of flooding. A wide range of flood management strategies and legal frameworks are put in place and are being used by governments to prevent, respond, and to lower the impacts of flooding. The aim of this research is to assess the effectiveness of flood management in Turkey and the United Kingdom, and provide recommendations for improving their effectiveness. The research methods used in this study include a comparative study, the development of flood management efficiency indicators (FMEIs), and series of interviews with flood management professionals and comparative case studies.
The findings of the research revealed that in Turkey, the government adopts a predominantly reactive approach, while the UK has put in place policies and legislation for proactive flood management. Key legislation in the UK is the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, which advocates for the cooperation and sharing of information among all stakeholder entities within flood management, extending down to local community level. The reactive approaches in Turkey are characterised by non-definite laws that have caused ineffective planning, poor warning systems, and unorganised stakeholders within the flood management system. Additionally, flood management is lacking at the local community level in Turkey. Although the two countries have not achieved impeccable flood management in terms of preparedness, response, and recovery, this research indicates that the UK system is more effective than the Turkish system.
The study makes some recommendations for improving flood management in the two countries, notably that Turkey should improve its flood planning initiatives and early warning system. Also, Turkey should improve the level of institutional learning and integrate more flood management stakeholders. In the context of the UK, the study recommends that flood management should be improved, and that the early warnings should be implemented effectively during actual flooding events. Finally, there is a need to provide more frequent training and proper institutional learning for flood managers in both countries.

Date of Award	Jun 2021
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Portsmouth
Supervisor	Richard Michael Teeuw (Supervisor) & Carmen Solana (Supervisor)