A Numerical Study on Coastal Defence at Chennai and Related Management Strategies

Chennai coast, right from the inception of Madras harbourin the year 1876, has been experiencinghostile conditions such as (i) coastal erosion, (ii) sandbar formation at the entrance to inlets, (iii) sea water ingression and (iv) change insea bed elevation, etc. In addition, construction of a new satellite harbour, about18 km north of Madras harbour has produced a negative impact on the delicatecoastal features such as (i) Pulicat lake, (ii) Ennore shoals, etc. Construction ofthis satellite harbour has led to the accumulation of sand south of the southbreakwater of the harbour and its accelerated growth is of concern to an inletlocated 2.6~km south of the harbour. `Coastal erosion', a perennial problemassociated with north Chennai sea front for the past 100 years has been addressedin this paper. The paper discusses on a long term solution and details of themethodologies to be adopted for effective management of the coast. Thesolution presented in this paper is based on numerical model study consideringthe nearshore currents and wave induced sediment transports.     

Wildlife management and land reform in southeastern Zimbabwe: a compatible pairing or a contradiction in terms?

This paper examines the melding of two discourses in southeastern Zimbabwe: land reform and wildlife management. The former seeks to redistribute large, ‘under-utilized’ landholdings to smallholders whilst the latter needs extensive land holdings to be viable. These two discourses are rooted in very different models of development. The land reform exercise emphasizes direct redistribution, equity and land for crops; whilst the wildlife management discourse tends to stress maximizing foreign exchange earnings, encouraging public-private partnerships and trickle down. Yet there has been a recent flurry of interest in the development of ‘wildlife models’ for land reform which would combine the two. This paper investigates whether the competing discourses about land for smallholders and wildlife-based land reform are compatible or can be successfully reconciled. It traces the ways they have come together in Zimbabwe’s southeast lowveld and examines the ‘science’ and politics underlying their melding. Finally it explores the potential implications for rural people’s livelihoods of this development. It concludes that land reform and wildlife management can be reconciled, but probably not in a particularly equitable way: it is more likely to provide an opening for an equitable land reform agenda to be usurped by local and non-local elites with wildlife interests.     

The environmental planning and management approach towards the development and management of the Osun natural spring project,Ibadan, Nigeria

There is a general shortage of potable water in Nigeria, partly through the lack of natural provision and partly because of rapid urban growth that has largely been unplanned. The paper describes the recent redevelopment of a public water facility in a run-down area of Ibadan which is part of the Sustainable Ibadan Project. Despite funding from national and international bodies, the development is strongly based at community level. The local inhabitants feel they have control over their own water supply through their representatives on the various planning and managing committees. This aims to reduce vandalism and to increase pride and involvement in the community. The project is a pilot for other projects around Ibadan, some of which have begun and others are being planned. This paper describes the administrative structures and management principles that have been employed. It forcefully advocates community-based planning and management which respects both the environment and the water-users, and involves a major “bottom-up” element. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Proposal of a National Mitigation Strategy Against Earthquakes in Turkey

While laboratory and analytical studies can provide valuable information about earthquake hazard mitigation, the most effective educator is the impact of a full-scale earthquake on a full-scale city. The recent earthquakes in Turkey showed that the governmental as well as individual attitudes towards earthquakes did not represent proportionate responses to the risk levels concerned. Turkey had weaknesses in preparing, planning, mitigating and responding to disasters in spite of the known seismic vulnerability of the country. Many steps have been taken after 1999 earthquakes in Turkey, however, the preparations largely concentrate on the response and recovery phases and a fundamental step to reform the current disaster management system and steps to rehabilitate the vulnerable building stock has not been undertaken until today. This would involve changing the present laws and regulations and de-centralising the disaster management system. The aim of this paper is to propose a national mitigation strategy for Turkey for a time-frame of 10 years. The model proposed is a very comprehensive model for earthquake risk reduction in Turkey and within this context, the legislative and technical aspects of mitigation will be discussed in detail. Strategies for mitigating and retrofitting the existing building stock will also be proposed.     

A macroscale analysis of coastal steepening around the coast of England and Wales

Coastal steepening potentially presents an array of management issues in the form of financial implications of sea defence degradation, increased risk posed to the hinterland as wave attenuation is reduced, 'coastal squeeze' and statutory requirements in the light of the Habitats Directive. The extent to which coastal steepening has occurred throughout England and Wales has been investigated through use of a GIS and dataset based on historical Ordnance Survey map information. Data were collected along 1084 selected profile lines, positioned so as to be geomorphologically representative of the coast. Features recorded from each map year included the positions of mean high water (MHW) and mean low water (MLW), the relative movements of which infer changing intertidal gradients. The results presented in this paper are on a subject and scale not previously published. It is revealed that 61% of the coastline studied has experienced a tendency towards steepening. Of the remainder, 33% has flattened, and 6% has experienced no rotational movement. This tendency towards steepening has been the dominant movement on each of the west, south, and east coasts.     

RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN EL HATILLO, NICARAGUA: GENDER, NEOLIBERALISM AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISK

El Hatillo is a rural community in the Sébaco valley in Nicaragua, which suffers from an eroding resource base, high levels of poverty and malnutrition, and a high susceptibility to hazards. Structural adjustment policies have been devastating for small and subsistence farmers and have increased the level of economic, social and environmental marginalisation in rural Nicaragua. This paper explores initiatives to promote sustainable development in Nicaragua in the context of structural adjustment and environmental degradation. Drawing on qualitative research conducted in El Hatillo, it outlines the ways in which women in this community are attempting to address the multiple challenges of rural poverty and environmental risk and considers the potential of these strategies for gender equality.     

一体化基础地形地籍数据库的设计思想

结合某地市级一体化基础地形地籍建设工程，主要介绍了一体化基础地形籍数据库的总体设计思想．对几个值得特别注意的关键技术问题进行了探讨，并给出了基本解决方法。     

土地利用动态管理系统研发中的若干问题研究

土地利用管理是土地管理的核心内容之一。土地利用动态变化加剧了土地管理的压力，建设具有辅助决策功能的土地利用动态信息系统是大势所趋。本文在阐述建设此系统的重要意义基础上，讨论了系统研发中几个关键问题，即“动态”管理的实现、空间数据和属性数据集成管理和决策的初步实现等。本文提出的解决方法，对于类似土地信息系统的建设具有普遍的指导意义。     

面向数字化测绘生产工作流的Web存储系统

讨论了一个面向工作流的项目管理系统中 ,各类计划、实施、监督管理、汇总报表等结构化文档及非结构化文档的存储访问系统的构造方法 ,并设计与实现了一个数字化测绘生产管理系统实例     

对工程勘察信息化的几点认识

从信息技术的角度看,工程勘察实际上是一种“信息获取、信息理解和信息应用”的过程。作为一项技术和服务,工程勘察的信息化应由工程勘察业务信息化和工程勘察管理信息化两方面组成。工程勘察信息化的作用包括信息化辅助业务和管理、信息化支撑业务和管理以及信息化提升业务和管理三个层次。当前,有必要对工程勘察企业信息化的模式、工程勘察业务信息化提升的方式和工程勘察信息化的标准化等问题做进一步研究,以推动工程勘察信息化向深度和广度发展。