Zoning Abrupt Environmental Pollution Risk in a Mega-city

摘要

Major abrupt environmental pollution accidents can cause huge socio-economic losses and seriously damage the environment. Zoning of abrupt environmental pollution risk can greatly aid decision-making and governance, with a view to preventing and mitigating such pollution accidents in a typical mega-city. The present paper proposes a risk system for environmental pollution accidents, which comprises an index system and a quantitative risk assessment model of environmental risk zonation. The system is based on data on past abrupt environmental pollution accidents, regional environmental risk theories, and natural disaster risk theories. An Abrupt Environmental Pollution Risk Zonation (AEPRZ) approach, applicable to a large area, is proposed, which involves the selection of appropriate zonation principles, units, and indexes for the measurement and classification of environmental risk, amending the zonation, and then mapping risk zonation with GIS tools. The AEPRZ approach is applied to the risk zonation of environmental pollution accidents in Minhang District, Shanghai, China, which was divided into four zones according to high, medium, low, and very low degrees of risk. In each zone, each of the socio-economic, hazard, vulnerability, and overall risk factors is assigned a specific degree of risk, thus providing a basis for the implementation of control measures as part of environmental risk prevention management.