On 9th August, 2018, Asian Management and Development Institute (AMDI) organised a workshop on “Operational Research - Application in Research on Optimal Investment Strategies to Minimise Flood Impacts on Infrastructure and Community in Hanoi” – an activity under the framework of Research on “Optimal Investment Strategies to Minimise Flood Impacts on Infrastructure and Community in Hanoi” under the collaboration agreement between AMDI and Kent Business School (KBS) – University of Kent dated March 2018.
Attending the workshop, representatives of both national and international agencies engaged in the dynamic and objective discussion and gave lots of useful strategies for current flood situation in Hanoi. Also, the workshop gathered researchers of the two international research partners namely Kent Business School and the University of Nottingham, UK and those of national organisations including the Asian Management and Development Institute (AMDI), Transport Development and Strategy Institute (TDSI) and other relevant stakeholders. It also witnessed the participation of various personnels from related departments in transport and drainage sectors as well as lecturers from universities who were interested in operational research.
Mr. Ngo Cong Chinh – Director of Asian Management and Development Institute (AMDI) presided at the workshop
The workshop content was divided into 3 key parts: (1) Introduction of Research on "Optimal investment strategies to minimise flood impacts on infrastructure and community in Hanoi. "; (2) Introduction a research methodology - "Operational Research": the science of solving diverse problems; (3) Survey the demands of relevant agencies for operational research methodologies application in solving urban flooding related problems.
Representatives pose for a commemorative photograph at the workshop
Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Ngo Cong Chinh – Director of Asian Management and Development Institute – the organizer emphasised that: Under the research work packages, AMDI, in collabration with both national and international partners, would evaluate the demands and capacity of government agencies in the fields of transport and drainage as well as social – economic – environment impacts on community in Hanoi. As a result, a list of non-structural solutions to minimise the flood impacts would be proposed after that. He also expressed his expectation for conducting future researches and evaluations from AMDI Institute and related partners towards Operational Research whose features remained new and had not been widely applied among Vietnamese research institutions and the Climate Change Working Group.
According to Mr. Graham Adutt, a specialist from the University of Kent (United Kingdom), "Operational Research is a method used by many countries around the world, especially in the UK. This is a method of analyzing scientific issues and making optimal strategies. In this research, it is also applied in the processing and calculation of water supply and drainage models to reduce the flood impacts as well as to accurately assess the cost benefits for the proposed resolutions."
Representatives of research co-executing agencies
The workshop was successfully organized, receiving lots of positive comments from domestic and foreign experts. This success played as a significant input for AMDI and its partners to continue performing practical and effective work packages to propose a list of practical solutions to cope with urban flooding situation in Hanoi capital.