A consortium of partners led by Royal Haskoning DHV from the Netherlands and that includes HKV consultants, Joy Brothers Engineering and Water Bridge Myanmar, presented a Flood Hazard Model (FHM) to representatives of YCDC last week.

Funded by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), the 7-month project aims to assist the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC) to prepare measures to make Yangon more resilient, assess changes in flood hazards as a result of future urbanization and climate change, and to identify the impact of possible flood mitigation measures in order to reduce the flood risk in Yangon City.

“It is difficult to get rid of water blocking on the road and drainage in some places, especially in downtown during rainfall and high tide. The model can be used to assess the potential impact of such measures” stated Mr. Alex Hooijer, project manager from Royal Haskoning DHV. He added that the problem was complicated because of the discharge from the rivers in Yangon City and the intensive rainfall and the tidal impact. “Therefore, we have made a Flood Hazard Model which may help to come to a better understanding of the flood situation in Yangon and to decide on actions to improve the drainage system of the city.” By creating a 3D flood hazard model, the FHM can map out water flows and the effects of flooding, heavy precipitation and drought for the existing situation and for different prospective scenarios.

Yangon is regularly subject to flooding specially during the monsoon season spanning 5-months from June to October. Currently, no overall responsibility on flood management is assigned. The responsibility of the water system, and with that flood management, are spread among various authorities.