Elevation of Structures and Infrastructure

ENTRY DATE: 23.04.2015 | LAST UPDATE: 23.04.2015

CATEGORIES:

  • Coastal Regions
  • Construction of infrastructure
  • Reinforcing facilities and structures

TECHNOLOGIES MATURITY:

Applicable immediately

Technology Owners:

Individual, community

Needs Address

Measures against erosion, storm surges and flooding

Adaptation effects

  • Reduces the exposure of structures to flooding
  • Protects buildings from power and communication cuts

Overview and Features

Elevation of buildings, infrastructure, such as roads, or utilities above predicted flood levels by building them on or moving them to higher foundations. This is an indigenous method of flood protection. Sand, soil, gravel or other materials are added to the land surface to elevate the land to protect the infrastructure from floods and other disasters. 

Cost

The cost of moving critical infrastructure within a building to a higher elevation can be minimal, depending on the type of infrastructure.

Energy source

Energy used for construction

Ease of maintenance

Elevation structures need regular maintenance 

Technology performance

This technique is not a solution for extreme and severe flood but can reduce damage from small scale or low water level floods

Considerations

  • In the case of extreme floods this technique should be used in tandem with disaster management techniques
  • May require new or revised regulations such as building codes and planning processes

Co-benefit, suitability for developing countries

  • Reduced negative impact on coastal ecosystem compared to large scale structural barriers
  • Material used to elevate structures is often gained through pond digging, the use of which has its own livelihood benefits for land owners, through providing local water sources and fish ponds
  • Construction of elevations should be informed by knowledge of flood prone areas, possibly supported by the use of flood maps, which may not always be available in developing countries
  • Implementation can be done at the individual, household and community level, the latter being more cost-effective and providing wider protection

Information Resources

ADB, 2014. Technologies to Support Climate Change Adaptation. Asian Development Bank. Available at: http://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/149400/technologies-climate-change-adaptation.pdf [25 November 2014]

Practical Action, 2010. Flood Resistant Housing. Available at: https://www.engineeringforchange.org/static/content/Structures/S00021/flood_resistant_housing.pdf [03 December 2014]

IRP, n.d. WAT-SAN: Bahraich Model. International Recovery Platform. Available at: http://www.recoveryplatform.org/assets/document/Bahraich%20WASH%20case%20study.pdf [07 April 2015]