Building green urban resilience through multi-functional wetlands : the case of Mandalay City, Myanmar | |
| Author | Hnin Lai Win |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.EV-18-10 |
| Subject(s) | Sustainable buildings Constructed wetlands--Myanmar--Mandalay |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Environmental Engineering and Management |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. EV-18-10 |
| Abstract | Numerous wetlands (lakes, canals, marshes, ponds, rivers, oxbow remnant lakes, etc.) existing in Mandalay City which are green infrastructure, essential for building urban resilience, and complex ecological systems shifting with time in terms of functions and structure. In a couple of decade, arrays of threats have exposed to wetlands. This research used mixed methods including RS/GIS, questionnaire, key formant interviews, laboratory water quality analysis. Assessment of the trends in wetlands change from a historical perspective was required to understand situation of wetland ecoservices and to facilitate formulation of proper sustainable management plan for the Mandalay City. Land Cover/ Land Use (LULC) map based on Landsat imagery data was produced for nearly three decades (1990-2018) using ArcGIS. To assess the current environmental impacts and drivers of changes of Mandalay City’s wetlands, DPSIR framework was used. For evaluation of the multifunction of the selected wetlands, TESSA toolkit was used particularly for such functions(ecoservices) as improvement of water quality, flood mitigation service, and cultivated crop production. The findings from this research showed that only 5% of the city’swetlands have disappeared over the last 30 years and there wa still a considerable amount of wetland areas in Mandalay City. Remote Sensing-based land use classification allowed for identification of hotspot areas of wetland destruction and disturbance. However, relatively early negative trends were identified. The expansion of the city development is towards eastern and southern parts, and it is argued that a special caution should be exercised regarding to the southward development as this area needs conservation of extensive and flood-protecting low-lying wetland areas. Wetland conservation is also essential for submerged land in the southwest and sandy Irrawaddy River islands due to their instability and fluctuating location. It was found that the level of policy for new development projects should be established systemically that can improve the decision-making processes. The concept of environmental conservations should be upgraded in both government and local community. Based on the questionnaires and literature review, the main drivers for wetland changes were found to be natural, and social issues. The mitigation (responses) required for wetlands of Mandalay City were planning to conserve the wetland, laws and regulations, collaboration with other stakeholders for planning, setting environmental standard, good practices for wetlands such as sediment dredging, and public awareness. The flood mitigation services provided by such wetlands as Taung Tha Man Lake and Nankad Lake were estimated to be US $0.97 billion, while more densely populated and highly polluted area of Thingazar Creek was calculated to potentially save up to US $6.07 billion. As Thingazar Creek is in downtown area, the cultivated goods derive from only Taung Tha Man Lake and Nankad Lake, namely, US $0.13 billion. The water quality results from these areas showed that they can still perform water quality improvement services estimated by TESSA.However, BOD values were quite high in Taung Tha Man Lake (in: 39.1 mg/l (Pa Yan Taw Creek, out: 19.9 mg/l), Nankad Lake (in: 36.6 mg/l, out: 25.8 mg/l), Thingazar Creek (in: 63 mg/l, out: 58.4 mg/l) as the city directly discharged wastewater without any treatment. |
| Year | 2018 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. EV-18-10 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Environmental Engineering (EV) |
| Chairperson(s) | Shipin, Oleg V.; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Annachahatre, Ajit P.;Vilas Nitivattananon;Virdis, Salvatore G.P.; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst(DAAD) Germany;AIT Fellowship; |
| Degree | Thesis (M. Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2018 |