DeltaCompetition 2008 Generates Inspiration and Discussion
The 2008 international Delta Competition yielded a total of sixteen innovative, creative and scientifically-based plans. Five of them got through to the final round The devisers were invited to present their papers in person to a select company in the magnificent St Laurenskerk in Rotterdam on 18 November. Among their audience were Cees Veerman, chairman of the Delta Committee, former minister of Housing, Regional Development and the Environment Sybilla Dekker, chairman Jan Bout and other members of Royal Haskoning’s board of management and Lord Hunt, chairman of the Delta Competition’s international panel of seven judges.
Cees Veerman once again explained the Delta Committee’s final recommendations in broad terms. He reminded his audience that half of the world’s population lives and works in vulnerable delta areas. Areas which, like the Netherlands, are feeling the threat of rising sea levels and rising rivers. ‘However, we have the knowledge, the money and the ideas to defend ourselves against these dangers,’ he argued. Chairman of the Board of Management of Royal Haskoning Jan Bout, however, emphasised that global climate change is not just a threat to mankind – it also offers opportunities for huge advancement in the areas of the environment, quality of life, energy and mobility. ‘I am therefore particularly pleased with the inspiring ideas from these students, who put time and energy into devising fitting and sustainable solutions for now and the future.’
Special publication
The nominees were allowed to explain their papers briefly. Each and every one of them made an intriguing plan that can be read in an abridged form in this Range Focus Delta Competition. And they are also collected in ‘Innovative Solutions for the Delta’, a book being specially published for this occasion. At the prize-giving ceremony, chairman of the judges Lord Hunt praised the diversity and practical feasibility of the ‘young potentials’. ‘It’s just fantastic that students are getting the chance to be allowed to join in the thinking about an important issue like this,’ said dazed winner Fang Yen Teo.
Winners
Winner of the individual paper (Euros 5000): Fang Yen Teo from Cardiff University (GB) with Mangroves – Natural Defence against Natural Disasters.
Winners of the team paper (Euros 10,000): Duc Tung Nguyen, Karthik Ramanathan and Sameer Vohra from the University of Toronto (Canada) with Design and Deployment of Aquaponic Grid Communities. Natural Defences against Natural Disasters in Model Simulations.
The winning individual paper >>
Mangroves: a natural defense against natural disasters
In many country’s, open trials have been conducted that relate to the planting of mangrove forests to serve as natural barrier to tropical storms and tsunami’s. In this particular Individual paper, Teo F.Y., from University of Cardiff, Wales, uses detailed calculations to describe the effect of the presence of mangrove habitats on the force of the waves and describes this in terms of the level of damage these waves can incur. The author tested these calculations extensively in the test site of Merbok Estuary, Malaysia. Although the concept of mangrove forests as a natural protective measure is not new, the efforts to calculate the precise effects of mangroves are of significance. Furthermore, the author found that planting additional mangrove trees also has a positive impact on the natural ecosystem of mangrove swamps, contributing to the restoration and rehabilitation of mangrove deltas.
The winning team paper >>
Aquaponics systemen in Bangladesh
In some developing countries, environmental and ecological concerns are not high on the societies agenda. This is not the case in Bangladesh, according to Nguyen D.T., Ramanathan K. and Vohra S. from the University of Toronto, Canada. In their paper ‘Design and deployment of Aquaponic Grid communities’, they argue that in the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta (also a heartland of agriculture), people are very aware of the fragility of the delta. Human development and sea water intrusion have led to the encroachment of land at an ever increasing rate. The effects are visible and threatening, especially in light of climate change. In the study, the authors have described a comprehensive concept for small-scale, self-sustaining communities that not only increase safety and improve the ecosystem, but that also benefits social-economic development. Moreover, they have also considered, in detail, the economic reality of developing such communities, taking into account the economic constraints in Bangladesh. They calculate that such a scheme may cost just USD 50.000! Taking into account social, economic, ecological and technical aspects (including cradle-to-cradle concepts), their paper is good example of a multi-disciplinary, solution-oriented concept in the light of climate change.
Interested in the complete papers of the nominees? Send an email to info@deltacompetition.royalhaskoning.com to receive the DeltaCompetition 2008 book.
