Smart Technological Urban Flood Management Strategies Is a “Must-Do” approach: The Case of Chinese Coastal Megacity, Ningbo, East Coast of China

Ningbo (NGB), one of the world's most important port cities located on the East Coast of China, contains more than 100 rivers and streams across three major catchments, the Yong, Yuyao and Fenghua Rivers. During the 1970s – 2000s, extensive river engineering, including channelisation, conversion of natural rivers into artificial canals, and construction of sluice gates and embankments were undertaken to cope with rapid urbanisation and development. Since the 2010s, the Ningbo Government and Water Bureau have initiated smart river and fluvial flood management strategies to enhance digital twins and smart flood management technologies, such as 3D flood mapping and real-time water level and discharge monitoring, significantly improving precision. In this study, we demonstrate that smart technology has performed effectively in Ningbo, with applications in the recent climate extreme events such as Typhoon In-Fa and Muihua in 2021 and 2022, during which the Municipal Bureau has safeguarded public safety and welfare. This further strengthening both municipal and national commitment to enhance climate resilience. Nevertheless, further advancement of the DT platform remains necessary. Key areas for improvement include faster computational capacity, enhanced coordination across departments and open data sharing mechanisms, and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) to support more effective decision-making processes in response to the climate extremes and adverse water hazards conditions.