Kansai International Airport has implemented various measures against natural disasters. Below are some specific initiatives for natural disasters such as torrential rains, earthquakes, typhoons, and storm surges.<\/p>\n
Efforts to Cope with Torrential Rain
\nInstallation of Rainwater Drainage Pumps
\nRainwater falling on Kansai International Airport flows through drainage pipes to the sea. Initially, rainwater was drained naturally to the sea by drainage pipes sloping outward from the interior of the island. However, the area near the seawall, being closer to the sea, experienced less subsidence than the inland areas. As a result, the slope of the drainage pipes gradually became gentler, and the drainage function, particularly near the seawall, started to deteriorate. To solve this problem, pumps were installed at the outlet of the drainage pipes to improve the efficiency of rainwater drainage. The installed pumps are capable of handling a heavy rainfall of 55 mm per hour, a level that could occur once in 10 years.
\nAirport subsidence
\nInstallation Sites of the Drainage Pumps for rain water<\/p>\n
Initiatives for earthquake-resistant
\nSeismic Reinforcement
\nThere are many viaducts in the airport-island to ensure smooth traffic conditions. Even if a Great Hanshin-like earthquake occurred, we have secured passenger safety and will be able to keep the airport operating. Kansai Airports has improved its viaducts with anti-earthquake reinforcement.
\n1. Concrete filling reinforcement for steel bridge piers For areas where seismic performance cannot be ensured with concrete-filled reinforcement alone, steel plates (ribs) for reinforcement were installed on the outside of the steel piers.
\n2. Installation of displacement limiting device In the case of bridge damage or destruction, we limited displacement through the installation of a displacement-limiting device.
\n3. Installation of bridge fall prevention apparatus In the case of displacement-limiting device failure, and to prevent the collapse of the girder bridge, we have connected the bridge and the pier through a PC cable.
\n4. Installation of faulting prevention device In the case of the bridge base being fragmented, we installed a fault-prevention device to secure the road as an emergency route right after an earthquake.<\/p>\n
Typhoon Response
\nTyphoon wave mitigation
\nTyphoon Jebi (Typhoon No. 21) in 2018 flooded the airport island due to waves over the seawall and caused severe damage, including flooding of the runway, and it took more than two weeks to fully restore airport functions.
\nBased on this experience, Kansai International Airport reinforced its seawall by adding concrete to raise its height to withstand the highest tide recorded in Osaka Bay (assuming Second Muroto Typhoon). This elevation is designed to endure waves equivalent to those expected once in 50 years. In addition, the seawall is periodically raised in response to ground subsidence to ensure safety.
\nIllustration of raised seawalls
\nWork on raising seawallss<\/p>\n
Efforts to Address Storm Surges
\nMeasures to Address the Rise in Groundwater Levels Due to Storm Surges
\nThe rising groundwater is related to the structure of the island itself. Kansai International Airport is surrounded by an environmentally friendly rock seawall built with rock material quarried from a mountain. For this reason, the structure is extremely water permeable. Consequently, when the surrounding sea level rises, the seawater flows into the airport island ground and the groundwater level rises. Likewise, when the sea level drops, the groundwater escapes and the groundwater levels also drop.
\nAirport island structure (Cross-section)
\nWater barriers (underground walls) were built as a radical solution to prevent seawater permeation into the airport island ground, and to curb rising groundwater. This involved excavating down to a depth of 30 m, where a non-permeable alluvial clay layer sits. Subsequently, a string of columns made from cement, soil and sand were constructed.
\nDiagram of a water barrier
\nGroundwater levels prior to the construction of the water barriers
\nWater barrier locations
\nIn 2006, a watertight wall for the entire Phase 1 island was completed, preventing groundwater from rising during abnormal tides and typhoon-induced storm surges. This measure will prevent any impact on airport functions in the event of sea level rise or subsidence due to global warming. Watertight walls are being installed sequentially on Phase 2 island as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kansai International Airport has implemented various measures against natural disasters. Below are some specific initiatives for natural disasters such as torrential rains, earthquakes, typhoons, and storm surges. Efforts to Cope with Torrential Rain Installation of Rainwater Drainage Pumps Rainwater falling on Kansai International Airport flows through drainage pipes to the sea. Initially, rainwater was drained […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":406,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-sustainability-society-safetyeffortskix.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/prd-kansai-airports.lasfactory.com\/?page_id=934","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-936","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","en-US"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kansai-airports.co.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kansai-airports.co.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kansai-airports.co.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kansai-airports.co.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kansai-airports.co.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=936"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.kansai-airports.co.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2530,"href":"https:\/\/www.kansai-airports.co.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/936\/revisions\/2530"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kansai-airports.co.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kansai-airports.co.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}