Introduction
Civil engineering is the science responsible for designing and constructing infrastructures, buildings, and other facilities that support our daily life. It combines seven specializations including structural, construction management, geotechnical, environmental engineering, and others. Ensuring the safety and functionality of facilities, civil engineering plays a pivotal role in construction resilient cities fully ready to survive through natural disasters, as well as minimize the devastating effects. In this article, we will discover the main role of civil engineering in disaster management.
Convenient urban planning
Convenient and appropriate urban planning is the first action civil engineers take to prevent disasters effects. Choosing suitable locations for construction, is the most efficient step in disaster management. In other words, civil engineers try to avoid construction cities in the areas prone to earthquakes or flood. However, in the case of construction in vulnerable areas seismic zones or floodplains, civil engineers ensure the safe designing of buildings and infrastructures to withstand shocks. So, good planning protects lives and properties. Additionally, it reduces human loss.
Disaster-resistant infrastructure
Infrastructure serves as the primary defense against disasters, enabling structures to endure and maintain their integrity post-disaster. It enables roads, building and bridges to stay stable as possible during and post disaster. In a result, strong facilities with well-structured stairs, enable the safe evacuating of people post the disaster. Additionally, having shock-resistant roads and bridges allows people with humanitarian and medical aid to reach stricken areas quickly.
In the field of water structures’ engineering, well-designed water infrastructure ensures the continuous delivery of clean water, as well as provides safer sewer. In a result, well-designing reduces the bad impacts on health post-disaster.
Main role of civil engineering in disaster management
Civil engineering applications have the primarily role in protecting cities during disaster time. Some crucial applications are:
- Dams: Dams impound water, protecting from floods and providing water needed for daily life activities, such as irrigation water, water for drink and water for industry process.
Read Water Resources Engineering
- Drainage systems: well-designed sewer systems help draining water effectively, as well as preventing flood.
- Resistant buildings: It is crucial to consider seismic designing principles when designing building in areas prone to seismic activity. By using technologies and software needed to design earthquake-resistant buildings, civil engineers provide high level of safety.
Waste management
There should be good waste management in areas damaged or affected by disaster. Unreliable waste disposal could cause infectious diseases and pollute the environment. Therefore, civil engineers ensure the designing of required facilities to manage, treat and recycle waste.
Read Waste Management: Role of Environmental Engineering
Rapid response to disasters
Civil engineers mission goes beyond contact building. They are the first to response upon a disaster. They build temporary shelters for those who lost their homes. Additionally, they try to quickly restore functionality of damaged infrastructure and put them into service.
Future challenges
Despite the progress and advancement, there are many difficult challenges ahead for civil engineering. Most risky challenge is climate change. The continuous changes in climate cause natural disasters with higher intensity. Therefore, civil engineers keep up to date with the modern and suitable practices to protect facilities from the impact climate changes. Another challenge would be population growth. The increasing number of human beings requires constant maintenance for existing infrastructure.
Read Climate Change Adaptation in Construction
Conclusion
Civil engineers mission goes further to protect cities and communities from the impact of natural disasters. By well urban planning, safe and resilient infrastructure designing and proper response for disasters. However, they will achieve even more efficiency if they address the errors and challenges appropriately.
INTERNATIONAL ENGINEERING ORGANIZATION (IEO)