Project title

VULNERABILITY OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS AND ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES TO THE OCCURRENCE OF NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT IN THE NORTH-EAST REGION

Project number 101/2020
Project code PN-III-P1-1.1-PD-2019-0577
Implementation period: 01.01.2022 – 31.12.2023

Vulnerabilitatea așezărilor umane și a activităților economice la apariția hazardelor naturale și gestiunea catastrofelor în Regiunea Nord-Est. O premisă pentru planificarea durabilă a teritoriului

Project Leader: university assistant PhD Oana-Elena HAPCIUC (CHELARIU)

Implementation period: 1.01.2022-31.12.2023

ACRONIM: Vul-Sett

Project summary:

In the current social and economic context, it is necessary to evaluate the directions of administrative-territorial development and socio-economic vulnerability in relation to natural hazards, as the frequency of catastrophic phenomena tends to grow. In order to minimize the loss of human lives and reduce the economic impact, it is necessary to implement adequate territorial planning in relation to the spatial distribution of natural disasters. Most settlements from the region of Moldova are located/developed in areas with a high degree of risk, and the events of the past two decades have highlighted the vulnerability of human communities by increasing the material damages and through the reduced absorption capacity of the phenomenon. In this respect, it can be developed a methodology that integrates land susceptibility to natural hazards with socio-economic vulnerability in order to identify the areas that require management plans and preventive measures. The methodology includes three important steps: a) natural hazard assessment through multi-criteria analysis (MCA), which includes the individual analysis of floods, flash floods, landslides and earthquakes and their integration in order to create the multi-natural hazard map; b) application of the vulnerability index (SoVI) at the level of the administrative-territorial unit; c) integrating land susceptibility to natural hazards and social vulnerability into an index for an integral evaluation and to identify the models on risk classes at the administrative-territorial unit level. The spatial distribution of catastrophes correlated to social vulnerability is a key instrument in sustainable territorial planning. The character of the project is applicative and usable by decision-makers and insurers for territorial–administrative planning.

Objectives

The main objective of the project is to develop a methodology for assessing the physical and socio-economic vulnerability for a sustainable expansion of the territory in areas with a low risk of occurrence of natural hazards.

In this respect, the specific objectives of the project are:

  1. Spatial estimation of the susceptibility of the land to the triggering of natural hazards (flash floods, floods, landslides and earthquakes).
  2. General hazard map
  3. Vulnerability assessment of settlements
  4. Identifying social vulnerability
  5. Proposing the measures needed for vulnerable communities to increase resilience.

Project team:

Project Leader: university assistant PhD Oana-Elena HAPCIUC (CHELARIU)

Supervisor: Professor PhD Iațu Corneliu

Results:

Published articles:

ISI articles

  • Chelariu, O.E., Minea, I., Iațu, C. 2023. Geo-hazards assessment and land suitability estimation for spatial planning using multi-criteria analysis. Heliyon, 9(7), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18159
  • Chelariu, O.E., Iațu, C., Minea, I. 2022. A GIS-Based Model for Flood Shelter Locations and Pedestrian Evacuation Scenarios in a Rural Mountain Catchment in Romania. Water, 14(19), 3074, https://doi.org/10.3390/w14193074

Awards

  • Best Paper Award for oral communication at 2nd Mediterranean Geosciences Union Annual Meeting (MedGU – 22), held in Marrakech, on 27-30 November 2022
  • A multi-hazard approach regarding territorial development suitability in North-East Region, Romania, authors – Chelariu Oana-Elena, Iațu Corneliu, Minea Ionuț

Participation in conferences:

International conferences

  • Chelariu Oana-Elena, Iațu Corneliu: The assessment of socio-economic vulnerability in a multi-hazard concept in the North-East Region of Romania. Mediterranean Geosciences Union – MedGU-23, 26-30 November 2023, Istanbul, Turkey.
  • Chelariu Oana-Elena, Iațu Corneliu: A GIS-based approach to identify the spatial variability of social vulnerability in North-East Region, Romania. 5th Euro-Mediterranean Conference for Environmental Integration, 2-5 October, Rende, Italy (on-line).
  • Chelariu Oana-Elena, Iațu Corneliu, Minea Ionuț: An approach for measuring social vulnerability in a multi-hazard context. 9th International Scientific Conference -Geobalcanica 2023, 8-9 May 2023, Skopje, N. Macedonia
  • Chelariu Oana-Elena, Iațu Corneliu, Minea Ionut: A multi-hazard approach regarding territorial development suitability in Nord-East Region, Romania. Mediterranean Geosciences Union – MedGU-22, 27-30 November 2022, Marrakech, Maroc

Scientific conferences in Romania

  • Chelariu Oana-Elena, Iațu Corneliu, Minea Ionuț: Social vulnerability to natural hazards in North-East Region of Romania. International Conference Present Environment and Sustainable Development, XVIII-th Edition, Iași, 9-10 June, 2023.
  • Chelariu Oana-Elena, Iațu Corneliu, Minea Ionuț: Vulnerability of human settlements and economic activities to natural hazards in the North-East Region, Romania. The International Conference Air and Water – components of the environment, 15th edition, Cluj-Napoca, 17-19 of March, 2023.
  • Chelariu Oana-Elena, Iațu Corneliu, Minea Ionuț: The vulnerability of underground water resources from Moldavian Plateau to climate change – final project evaluation. Lucrările Seminarului Geografic Internațional "Dimitrie Cantemir", Editia a 42, 14-16 of October 2022.
  • Minea Ionuț, Sfîcă Lucian, Mihai Florin-Constantin, Iosub Marina, Chelariu Oana-Elena, Boicu Daniel: . The vulnerability of underground water resources from Moldavian Plateau to climate change – final project evaluation, Lucrările Seminarului Geografic Internațional "Dimitrie Cantemir", Editia a 42, 14-16 of October 2022.
  • Chelariu Oana-Elena, Iațu Corneliu: GIS-based multi-criteria analysis for flood prone areas and suitability estimation for urban planning in North-East Region of Romania. XVII-th edition International Conference Present Environment and Sustainable Development. 3-4 June, Iași, Romania.
  • Chelariu Oana-Elena, Ionuț MINEA, Daniel BOICU, Marina IOSUB: An approach for assessing social vulnerability related to groundwater resources at local level in North-Eastern part of Romania. XVII-th edition International Conference Present Environment and Sustainable Development. 3-4 June, Iași, Romania.

Contact

Project Leader: university assistant PhD Oana-Elena HAPCIUC (CHELARIU)

e-mail: oana.chelariu(a)uaic.ro

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4468-0688