Speaker
Description
The LANDAM (LANdslide DAMs) Project addresses the phenomenon of interference between slope landslides and riverbed dynamics, which frequently leads to the complete damming of the valley and the consequent formation of a natural reservoir. This phenomenon is often underestimated, so much so that current land-use planning tools (Hydrogeological Asset Plans – Piani di Assetto Idrogeologico - PAI) separately consider the risk deriving from landslides and that due to the possibility of flooding following extreme weather events. In practice, in the case of landslide dams, the consequences, in terms of hydraulic risk, of the possibility of the collapse of the natural dam and the formation of an anomalous flood wave in the downstream section, caused by the sudden emptying of the lake, are not assessed. The Project addressed two main issues. The first involves characterizing the phenomenon, proposing a new classification of landslide dams. This classification, unlike existing classifications in the literature, recognizes the river system's important role in the likelihood and evolution of the phenomenon. For each type of landslide dam, several significant parameters were assessed to define the most appropriate interventions aimed at the risk mitigation, both in the emergency and post-event phases. The second issue involves defining a method for forecasting the phenomenon, with the development of landslide dam susceptibility maps that, at the basin scale, identify the sections of the hydrographic network most likely to be affected by potential damming. The development of intervention guidelines for stakeholders, especially Civil Protection operators, represents one of the most important deliverables of the LANDAM Project.