Engineering Safe and Sustainable Protection

The idea for HYDRA occurred to Schismenos during his master’s degree in disaster management at the International Hellenic University in Greece, when he observed both hydropower and early warning systems in action, but were never used together. He also noted that renewable energy is rarely used in disaster management, and a combined system seemed like an obvious solution. However, he was wary of foisting something on a community without first finding out what people want and need.

When Schismenos joined Western as a PhD student and began working with Stevens, who was already leading research on sustainable development in water resources and disaster management, HYDRA was transformed from a kernel of an idea to an exciting international collaborative research initiative.

Working with their colleagues overseas, Schismenos and his team selected two remote communities that fitted the vulnerability criteria. Aggitis, a small village in northern Greece has fewer than 100 residents, many of them elderly, and relies on farming and ecotourism for income. Floods are frequent, especially in spring due to snow melt from nearby mountains. A few renewable energy systems are in place, including a small hydropower station and solar panels on some homes. By contrast, Dhuskun, in central Nepal, has more than 3,000 residents and a much lower income from its farming activities and trade. The town has a small hydropower station that is often put out of action by landslides or floods, which are common during spring and the monsoon season.

The team selected local participants with diverse perspectives, from residents and business owners, to emergency workers and academics. Participants, through two rounds of individual, open interviews conducted in their local languages, confirmed that flood risk and energy supply were a priority. “We then created an evidence-based catalogue of solutions,” says Schismenos, “and asked which people preferred.” Options included solar panels, hydropower, standalone flood warning systems (sirens and SMS), or combinations of the two. The combined hydropower flood siren system was a clear favourite, getting 15 of the 16 votes.

“Under normal conditions, hydropower generates energy for the community, but when a flood is coming, sensors detect a change in the water flow, and the system becomes an alarm,” explains Schismenos. It would also be rigged up to lights along the evacuation routes and in shelters. The energy is stored in batteries, so if the hydropower unit fails during the floods, there should be 12 hours of power backed up. “The system is all automated, low-tech, low-cost, and DIY,” says Schismenos. “We work with the community so they know how to build and maintain it.”

“One major challenge is debris,” says Stevens. “The system must be set up so that it is protected, and if it does fail, the batteries must have enough power backed up to assist the evacuation and keep people safe.” In Dhuksun, participants suggested the hydropower unit should be designed to float above the flowing tide of debris.

Through discussions with locals, conducted remotely due to COVID-19, the team gained insights (later published in the journal Geosciences) that could help shape disaster planning. All participants highlighted the importance of community cohesion, and that people would always help vulnerable friends, family or neighbours to evacuate. While older respondents still preferred siren systems, everyone agreed that mobile phones were essential in an emergency.

“People won’t have to wait for a text alert from the national warning system, which could arrive too late”

Many locals were worried that the system would be too expensive, but the team are confident they will have funding. “Local governments are interested in supporting this, as it will provide power and save money,” says Schismenos. “It will also attract tourists who want to see sustainable development in action.” And the benefits of HYDRA are not limited to low-income countries. “Supplementary energy systems have appeal in high-income countries, as hydropower can top up and protect their power supply,” adds Stevens.

The project has attracted a lot of international interest, including from Guatemala, Taiwan, Brazil, and particularly from regions in protected areas. In Thailand, for example, floods regularly devastate rural areas and big cities alike. Wasi Phul, a civil engineer working for the Thai government, thinks that HYDRA could help by bringing disaster management down to a local level. “People won’t have to wait for a text alert from the national warning system, which could arrive too late,” he says.

In the lab at Western, which funded the work between 2019 and 2022, the team are in the middle of R&D and have been testing their hydropower system to find the best turbines and to measure response to turbulence. They are now working out how to shield it from debris, which could present obstacles, but they hope to be running site tests using their prototype in Agattis in 2023. Once the system is working well in the field, the team will take it to Nepal.

The cross-disciplinary project addresses the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including those on Affordable and Clean Energy (7), Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (9), and Sustainable Cities and Communities (11), as well as the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction. “The challenge is how to address all of these goals in an efficient way at a small and local level,” says Schismenos, “which is why we must keep engaging with communities.”