Artificial intelligence can help manage floods effectively, but decisions about which communities are protected require a human touch.
Durban’s Bhambayi township was among the areas wrecked by heavy rains, mudslides and winds that have left more than 300 people dead.
RAJESH JANTILAL/AFP via Getty Images
With heatwaves, droughts and fires all on the rise, the federal government is urged to merge its separate strategies on disaster resilience and climate readiness.
With flood risks projected to rise, it’s feared parts of Townsville and other cities will become “uninsurable”.
Dave Acree/AAP
Amid fears that parts of Townsville and other Australian cities might become “uninsurable”, making urban areas more resilient and adaptable to flooding is becoming more urgent.
Dirty water from Queensland’s historic flooding, triggered by weeks of exceptional monsoon rains earlier in the year.
NASA Worldview/EPA
What do the recent Townsville floods and Tasmanian heatwave have in common? Both were caused by weather systems that stayed put for days or weeks on end. And global warming could worsen that trend.
People typically become sick between one and 21 days after being infected.
Goran Jakus/Shutterstock
The bacteria that causes melioidosis usually lives 30cm underground in clay soil but is dredged to the surface during heavy rains and floods, and can enter the body through small breaks in the skin.
Dams, like the Kariba between Zambia and Zimbabwe, regulate flow for irrigation, hydropower and water supply.
ATEC-3D
The aftermath of flooding provides the perfect breeding ground for mould in our homes. It’s important to properly remove it so it doesn’t affect our health.
The source of the Yamuna River, one of the major rivers draining the Himalayas.
Anthony Dosseto
A new report predicts that one-third of the ice in the Himalayas will melt, even if we contain global warming to 1.5C. So what does that mean for the flood-prone valleys below?
Coastal erosion at Skipsea, East Yorkshire, UK.
Matthew J Thomas/Shutterstock
The more water, the more mosquito eggs are laid, and the more mosquitoes end up buzzing about. But to spread disease to people, they first need to bite infected wildlife.
Monitoring the whereabouts of floodwaters is vital for protecting infrastructure.
AAP Image/Andrew Rankin
The flood zone around Townsville extends for hundreds of kilometres, making monitoring difficult even from the air. But scientists are testing a new satellite method that can peer through the clouds.
Cairns has lots of hard grey infrastructure but much less green infrastructure that would reduce the impacts of the city’s growth.
Karine Dupré
Urbanisation is the main reason for rising temperatures and water pollution, but receives little attention in discussions about the health of water streams, reefs and oceans.
Flooding in Sydney last week was the latest example of Australian cities’ lack of resilience to a more extreme climate.
Dean Lewins/AAP
Australia’s coastal settlements are highly exposed to the impacts of climate change. Climate-resilient urban landscapes that can cope with large amounts of water need to become the new normal.