Analysis of urban solutions to flood risk in Santa Ana, Asunción, Paraguay

Abstract

Informal urban settlements represent a structural problem in Paraguay. They house about 20% of Asuncion’s population and are constantly threatened by urban flooding caused by the river regime and precipitations. The following article is a summary of the authors’ thesis work on the case of Santa Ana, a neighborhood located on a flood area of Asuncion. Paraguay’s Public Works Department offered two possible solutions to tackle floods, namely polder and hydraulic filling), which resulted incomprehensible to the residents of the area. This research work is intended to provide an analysis of both proposed solutions to flood risks as a contribution to decision making for those who live in informal urban settlements, spreading the advantages and disadvantages of these proposals. Providing a design solution is beyond the scope of this work. At the time of this research (2023), the population was about 7,344 inhabitants. The overall situation of the neighborhood was analyzed to determine the possible impacts of both solutions. Pros and cons were systematized. An overview of the impact and risks involved in both techniques was obtained, highlighting the importance of disclosing that information to the population for allowing conscious decision making.