Page 7 - Microsoft Word - 20120528 Unesco study

Summary

This report offers a study of the macro-economic effects associated with the use of
PowerCem-based Technology in flood prone and inundation areas. UNESCO-IHE is interested
in creating a spread sheet risk model that can be used worldwide for new technologies, such as
PowerCem Technologies, which supports a coping policy, thus facilitating a more pro-active
policy. To create such a model it is important that it can be validated with exact figures. The
validation of this model is based on the performance of the technology, which has been used
widely and successfully in the state of Tabasco, Federal Republic of Mexico. Starting in 2008,
the state’s government decided to start working with a new nano-based technology,
PowerCem Technology.
The state of Tabasco is a typical area that suffers from repeated large scale flooding. In some
areas the roads are damaged several times every year. The floods occur due to the:
• region’s low altitude;
• high rainfall intensities; and
• Conveyance of rainwater from the mountains in Chiapas to the Gulf of Mexico.

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The region has suffered a number of from floods, with many casualties. On October 20 , 2011
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the Tabasco region was declared a disaster area by president Calderon of Mexico .

Gulf of Mexico

Campeche

Tabasco

Veracruz

Chiapas Guatemala

Figure 1: Location of Tabasco State.

Before, after and during a flood the road infrastructure is crucial for managing the
transportation of persons, food and medical care. It is therefore required that the road
infrastructure remains available as much as possible before, after and during such events.
In the past the pavement structure on top of the dikes was mainly built using traditional
foundation materials. The problem with traditional, unbound materials is that they are
vulnerable to erosion, whereas bound materials are liable to break up, due to erosion of the
underlying layer.

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http://en.presidencia.gob.mx/2011/10/tabasco-declared-disaster-area-due-to-floods
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