Socio-hydrological prediction of soft-path vs. hard-path in flood risk management under climate change: a case study from the Lower Kelani River Basin, Sri Lanka

Study region Lower Kelani River Basin, Sri Lanka. Study focus The dynamics of human-flood interactions are particularly pronounced in flood-prone regions. Effective flood management requires a synergistic approach that combines “hard” with “soft” measures in these areas. However, a gap remains in th...

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Autores principales: Perera, C., Tamakawa, K., Rasmy, M., Ushiyama, T., Nakamura, S.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Elsevier 2025
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173700
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author Perera, C.
Tamakawa, K.
Rasmy, M.
Ushiyama, T.
Nakamura, S.
author_browse Nakamura, S.
Perera, C.
Rasmy, M.
Tamakawa, K.
Ushiyama, T.
author_facet Perera, C.
Tamakawa, K.
Rasmy, M.
Ushiyama, T.
Nakamura, S.
author_sort Perera, C.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Study region Lower Kelani River Basin, Sri Lanka. Study focus The dynamics of human-flood interactions are particularly pronounced in flood-prone regions. Effective flood management requires a synergistic approach that combines “hard” with “soft” measures in these areas. However, a gap remains in the empirical evaluation of the combined efficiency of these measures in the context of a changing climate and human–flood interaction dynamics. This study introduced an enhanced socio-hydrological model that evaluates hard and soft measures. New hydrological insights for the region We projected future annual maximum river levels using downscaled GCMs under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) scenarios (2.6, 4.5, and 8.5), incorporating simulations from the HEC-HMS model. Subsequently, a socio-hydrological model (SHM) was employed to outline potential socio-hydrological trajectories from 2025 to 2100. Floodplain dynamics were assessed under four management options: business-as-usual, soft-path, hard-path, and combined hard- and soft-path scenarios. These findings underscore the critical role of soft measures in mitigating flood damage across protected and unprotected floodplains. The soft-path approach demonstrated a 10–14 % reduction in damage compared with the business-as-usual scenario across all GCM-RCP scenarios. The integrated hard- and soft-path strategies showed a damage reduction of 12–38 % compared with the hard-path alone. This study also highlighted the significant role of Flood Risk Information (FRI) in reducing flood damage, particularly in protected floodplains.
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spelling CGSpace1737002025-10-26T13:01:40Z Socio-hydrological prediction of soft-path vs. hard-path in flood risk management under climate change: a case study from the Lower Kelani River Basin, Sri Lanka Perera, C. Tamakawa, K. Rasmy, M. Ushiyama, T. Nakamura, S. Study region Lower Kelani River Basin, Sri Lanka. Study focus The dynamics of human-flood interactions are particularly pronounced in flood-prone regions. Effective flood management requires a synergistic approach that combines “hard” with “soft” measures in these areas. However, a gap remains in the empirical evaluation of the combined efficiency of these measures in the context of a changing climate and human–flood interaction dynamics. This study introduced an enhanced socio-hydrological model that evaluates hard and soft measures. New hydrological insights for the region We projected future annual maximum river levels using downscaled GCMs under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) scenarios (2.6, 4.5, and 8.5), incorporating simulations from the HEC-HMS model. Subsequently, a socio-hydrological model (SHM) was employed to outline potential socio-hydrological trajectories from 2025 to 2100. Floodplain dynamics were assessed under four management options: business-as-usual, soft-path, hard-path, and combined hard- and soft-path scenarios. These findings underscore the critical role of soft measures in mitigating flood damage across protected and unprotected floodplains. The soft-path approach demonstrated a 10–14 % reduction in damage compared with the business-as-usual scenario across all GCM-RCP scenarios. The integrated hard- and soft-path strategies showed a damage reduction of 12–38 % compared with the hard-path alone. This study also highlighted the significant role of Flood Risk Information (FRI) in reducing flood damage, particularly in protected floodplains. 2025-04 2025-03-19T05:39:46Z 2025-03-19T05:39:46Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173700 en Open Access Elsevier Perera, C.; Tamakawa, K.; Rasmy, M.; Ushiyama, T.; Nakamura, S. 2025. Socio-hydrological prediction of soft-path vs. hard-path in flood risk management under climate change: a case study from the Lower Kelani River Basin, Sri Lanka. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 58:102230. [doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2025.102230]
spellingShingle Perera, C.
Tamakawa, K.
Rasmy, M.
Ushiyama, T.
Nakamura, S.
Socio-hydrological prediction of soft-path vs. hard-path in flood risk management under climate change: a case study from the Lower Kelani River Basin, Sri Lanka
title Socio-hydrological prediction of soft-path vs. hard-path in flood risk management under climate change: a case study from the Lower Kelani River Basin, Sri Lanka
title_full Socio-hydrological prediction of soft-path vs. hard-path in flood risk management under climate change: a case study from the Lower Kelani River Basin, Sri Lanka
title_fullStr Socio-hydrological prediction of soft-path vs. hard-path in flood risk management under climate change: a case study from the Lower Kelani River Basin, Sri Lanka
title_full_unstemmed Socio-hydrological prediction of soft-path vs. hard-path in flood risk management under climate change: a case study from the Lower Kelani River Basin, Sri Lanka
title_short Socio-hydrological prediction of soft-path vs. hard-path in flood risk management under climate change: a case study from the Lower Kelani River Basin, Sri Lanka
title_sort socio hydrological prediction of soft path vs hard path in flood risk management under climate change a case study from the lower kelani river basin sri lanka
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173700
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