Design and installation of a Prototype Geohazard ...Machu Picchu, Peru. Then, on 25 February 2010, torrential ﬂooding of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River valley severed the narrow gauge

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 10, 2031–2038, 2010www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net/10/2031/2010/doi:10.5194/nhess-10-2031-2010© Author(s) 2010. CC Attribution 3.0 License.

Natural Hazardsand Earth

System Sciences

Design and installation of a Prototype Geohazard MonitoringSystem near Machu Picchu, Peru

M. H. Bulmer 1 and T. Farquhar2

1Geophysical Flow Observatory, Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology, University of Maryland Baltimore County, USA2Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland Baltimore County, USA

Received: 14 May 2010 – Revised: 25 August 2010 – Accepted: 17 September 2010 – Published: 30 September 2010

Abstract. The town of Machu Picchu, Peru, serves the>700 000 tourists visiting Machu Picchu annually. It hasgrown threefold in population in the past two decades. Dueto the limited low-lying ground, construction is occurring onthe unstable valley slopes. Slopes range from<10◦ on thevalley floor to>70◦ in the surrounding mountains. The townhas grown on a delta formed at the confluence of the Alca-mayo, Aguas Calientes and Vilcanota Rivers. Geohazards inand around the town of particular concern are 1) large rocksfalling onto the town and/or the rail line, 2) flash flooding byany one of its three rivers, and 3) mudflows and landslides. Aprototype early warning system that could monitor weather,river flow and slope stability was installed along the AguasCalientes River in 2009. This has a distributed modular con-struction allowing components to be installed, maintained,salvaged, and repaired by local technicians. A diverse setof candidate power, communication and sensor technologieswas evaluated. Most of the technologies had never been de-ployed in similar terrain, altitude or weather. The successfuldeployment of the prototype proved that it is technically fea-sible to develop early warning capacity in the town.

1 Introduction

Early this year, several people were killed by mudslideswhile hiking the famed Inka trail that leads to the citadel ofMachu Picchu, Peru. Then, on 25 February 2010, torrentialflooding of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River valley severed thenarrow gauge rail line that has linked Machu Picchu to theoutside world since the early 1900’s. To minimize the risk offurther casualties, the Peruvian government ordered the evac-

Correspondence to:M. H. Bulmer([email protected])

uation of the 4200 tourists and residents trapped either at theWorld Heritage site, or in the adjacent village of Machu Pic-chu Pueblo (MPP), or somewhere along the Inka trail. Inspite of difficult weather and terrain conditions, the ensuingairlift was successfully executed by the Peruvian Army withthe assistance of the US government and other entities overa period of four days. The operation ultimately required 93sorties by 12 turbine powered helicopters and no further in-juries were sustained. However, as of early April, the MachuPicchu Sanctuary remains largely closed to tourists and thenecessary repairs of the rail infrastructure are still underway.In addition to the tragic loss of human life, thousands of pri-vate residences were destroyed across the region, and 50–100 commercial buildings in MPP sustained serious damage.Even as the focus shifts from humanitarian relief to economicreconstruction, the reopening of Machu Picchu to touristsshould be accompanied by a clear recognition of the natu-ral hazards of this region.

2 Background

For the past two years, the Geophysical Flow Group (GFG)at the University of Maryland Baltimore County has beenstudying the feasibility of using distributed IP-sensor arraysto monitor geohazards around MPP (Fig. 1). During an ini-tial site evaluation in 2008 (Bulmer and Farquhar, 2008), theteam concluded 1) that the risk level was very severe and 2)that the community was inadequately equipped to respond inthe event of natural disasters. Hence, the impact of the recentflood was not unexpected and the safe evacuation of severalthousand people highlighted that the military was the organi-zation most able to respond. The significance of this is thatthe civil agencies the GFG worked with did not want to en-gage with the military. This exposes the need for significant

Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union.

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2032 M. H. Bulmer and T. Farquhar: Design and installation of a Prototype Geohazard Monitoring System

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Figure 1. Location map showing Machu Picchu and Machu Picchu Pueblo. Modified. 2 Fig. 1. Location map showing Machu Picchu and Machu PicchuPueblo. Modified fromnews.bbc.co.uk.

consideration to be given to civil military cooperation not justin disaster response but in the monitoring of geohazards.

The purpose of this article is to describe a prototype earlywarning system designed and temporarily deployed by theGFG team in 2009 under the auspices of the World Bank.The goal here is to identify the factors that informed the sys-tem design, and to enumerate some of the key lessons learnedduring its installation and a subsequent four months of opera-tion. It should also be noted that the prototype was no longerin operation at the time of the recent flood, which had beenforeshadowed by an extended period of unusually heavy rain.

Most of the 1 million tourists who visit the Machu Pic-chu Sanctuary on an annual basis arrive by rail and make useof European-style hotels and restaurants operated by perma-nent residents of MPP or the nearby village of Santa Theresa.Thus, at any one time, there can be as many as 6000 peopleconfined to the area immediately surrounding the conflux ofthree rivers in MPP. The natural beauty of the surroundingmountains had drawn the Inka leaders to Machu Picchu in the1500’s just before the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadores.Then as now, the steep dynamic slopes posed a real and con-stant danger to any inhabitants of the valley floor. Thus, theexplosive growth in tourist traffic at this World Heritage sitehas provided a strong impetus for early detection of geohaz-ards, and for effective emergency planning. Towards thataim, this paper describes the design and installation of a pro-totype warning system ultimately installed along the lowerreaches of one of the three rivers draining through MPP. Theguiding principle in its design was to obtain a robust systemthat could be operated, maintained, and extended in a sus-tainable fashion under local conditions.

3 Machu Picchu Pueblo

MPP is situated within the Cordillera Oriental (EasternCordillera) between the High Plateau and Subandine zonesof the Peruvian Andes (Marocco, 1977). The latitude is13◦09′25.3′′ S, the longitude is 72◦31′25.8′′ E, and the meanelevation is slightly less than 2100 m a.s.l. The officialboundaries of the town of MPP enclose a 40 km2 area of thecomplex Vilcabamba Batholith. This 250-million-year-oldintrusion is a coarse white to gray-colored granite, character-ized by an abundance of quartz, feldspar, and mica (predom-inantly biotite). The town has grown on a metastable deltathat lies on the downstream right bank of the Vilcanota Riverat its confluence with the Aguas Calientes (AC) and the Al-camayo (Am) Rivers. At this location, some of the surround-ing peaks rise to well over 4000 m at slope gradients of upto >70◦. MPP lies at km 122 of a rail line which is linkedto Ollantaytambo (km 88) and ultimately Cusco (km 0) via asingle narrow gauge rail track that runs along the banks of theUrubamba (or Vilcanota) River. The passenger train stationin MPP serves as a rail terminus for most of the tourists whovisit Machu Picchu citadel annually via a dedicated bus fleet.In recent years, the lodging capacity of MPP has grown dra-matically by a factor of three to support the demands of thetourist industry. Most of the flat low-lying ground adjacentto the Vilcanota River is now occupied by large commercialbuildings (e.g., major hotels and restaurants). Here, build-ing construction reflects a general awareness of the risk offlooding with most key business activity occurring on the firstfloor. In contrast, most private residences and small commer-cial buildings are sited along the steeply sloping banks of theAC and the Am. Here, construction and siting practices areinformal (Fig. 2), and there is a constant risk from rockfallsand other types of landslides.

The climate at MPP is subtropical, with the driest monthsof the winter season from May to August and the wettestmonths of the summer season from October to March(Fig. 3). The rainy months typically account for 80% of theannual rainfall average, which over the last two decades hasaveraged 1600 to 2300 mm. The average humidity is 77%during dry months and 91% during rainy months. At anygiven altitude, the variations in daily temperature are mod-est, and frost does not occur within the boundaries of MPP.

4 Preliminary investigation of geohazards

Weathered and heavily fractured granitic rocks around MPPare prone to rockfalls, topples and slides. Some of the slopesare heavily vegetated but the slope gradients are sufficientlysteep that the colluvium can be mobilized by intense rainfall.In other cases, the bedrock has been fully exposed and is nowheavily jointed. Slope failures are frequent and reportedly aremost common in the last months of the wet season (i.e. inMarch and April). Many of the slopes should be considered

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M. H. Bulmer and T. Farquhar: Design and installation of a Prototype Geohazard Monitoring System 2033

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Figure 2. Construction and siting practices are informal. A typical view of multistoried houses 2

under construction. The basic plan is a concrete slab and reinforced column structure with no 3

load bearing walls. The ground floor often contains a shop with several floors above for 4

family use. Inset. View of a cantilevered floor showing the non uniform consistency of the 5

concrete and the Styrofoam boards used as space fillers. 6

Fig. 2. Construction and siting practices are informal. A typicalview of multistoried houses under construction. The basic plan is aconcrete slab and reinforced column structure with no load bearingwalls. The ground floor often contains a shop with several floorsabove for family use. Inset. View of a cantilevered floor showing thenon uniform consistency of the concrete and the Styrofoam boardsused as space fillers.

highly susceptible to disturbance. In the opinion of the au-thors, more than 70% of the inhabitants of MPP live on orjust beneath meta-stable slopes, and are continually exposedto the risk of large-scale slope failure (Fig. 4).

The Aquas Calientes (AC) River runs through MPP to theVilcanota River and has a catchment area of∼1400 hectares(Fig. 5). During periods of intense rain, the runoff rapidlydrains through and over the colluvium and/or heavily jointedbedrock that comprise the narrow steep valley sides. Histor-ical records dating to the 1940’s suggest that rockfalls, top-ples, and debris slides into the upper tributaries of the ACoccur on a regular basis. On occasion, these failed materialshave dammed one or more of the upper channels of the AC,temporarily reducing the flow volume in the lower channel,until such time as the accumulated water is suddenly releasedin a catastrophic manner as hyper-concentrated water flow,debris flow and/or mudflow. The Quechua word for this typeof phenomenon is “huayco”, which is understood to describea broad spectrum of flows either confined within or outsideof normal drainage channels. At present, the last 1000 m ofthe AC is confined by the walls of an engineered concretechannel that bisects the western side of MPP (Fig. 6). Someportions of the channel have been periodically revised andstrengthened to resist the effects of previous “huaycos”.

The mouth of the Alcamayo (Am) River lies only 200 mfurther upstream on the Vilcanota River from the mouth ofthe Aguas Calientes River. The catchment area of the Amis ∼400 hectares and drains an area lying further north-eastof MPP. The last 700 m of the Am runs in a natural chan-nel cutting through an alluvial plain on the eastern side ofMPP. At points where overtopping has occurred in the past

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Figure 3. Monthly TRMM 3A25(V6) data over MPP as time series data from January 2000 to 2

March 2010. Data acquired using the GES-DISC Interactive Online Visualization and 3

analysis Infrastructure (Giovanni) as part of the NASA's Goddard Earth Sciences (GES) Data 4

and Information Services Center (DISC). 5

Fig. 3. Monthly TRMM 3A25(V6) data over MPP as time se-ries data from January 2000 to March 2010. Data acquired usingthe GES-DISC Interactive Online Visualization and analysis Infras-tructure (Giovanni) as part of the NASA’s Goddard Earth Sciences(GES) Data and Information Services Center (DISC).

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Figure 4. Quickbird image showing the AC and Am Rivers. Areas prone to rock fall, topples 2

and slides are shown as areas with a red stipple pattern. Drainage lines for floods and debris 3

flows are shown as areas with a red stripped pattern. Designated Safe Areas (S) are shown 4

within green boxes. Inset A shows an area where propane tanks are stored in the open. To the 5

immediate right of the author is a rock that fell into the rail yard in 2007. The explosion and 6

resulting destruction resulting from a ruptured propane tank would be significant. 7

Fig. 4. Quickbird image showing the AC and Am Rivers. Areasprone to rock fall, topples and slides are shown as areas with a redstipple pattern. Drainage lines for floods and debris flows are shownas areas with a red stripped pattern. Designated Safe Areas (S) areshown within green boxes. Inset A shows an area where propanetanks are stored in the open. To the immediate right of the authoris a rock that fell into the rail yard in 2007. The explosion andresulting destruction resulting from a ruptured propane tank wouldbe significant.

some portions of the banks have been built up and strength-ened by unreinforced stone. The last portion of the channel isseverely constricted by a narrow span rail bridge just aboveits entrance point into the Vilcanota River, to the extent thatthe Am overtops its channel here on a regular basis in an areaadjacent to the passenger rail station and several major hotels(Fig. 6).

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Figure 5. Colorized DEM and ASTER Band 1 VNIR image used to examine height profile 2

and mensuration data from the head of the Aguas Calientes watershed to MPP. The length of 3

the Aquas Calientes River from the highest point to MPP is calculated to be 7.9 km. The 4

channel profile is shown in the inset top right. Inset lower right shows a perspective view of 5

the colorized DEM and ASTER Band 1 VNIR image. The black polygon shows the outline of 6

the watersheds of the AC and Am which drain to and through MPP (shown in the red circle). 7

Elevation is in meters. 8

Fig. 5. Colorized DEM and ASTER Band 1 VNIR image usedto examine height profile and mensuration data from the head ofthe Aguas Calientes watershed to MPP. The length of the AquasCalientes River from the highest point to MPP is calculated to be7.9 km. The channel profile is shown in the inset top right. In-set lower right shows a perspective view of the colorized DEM andASTER Band 1 VNIR image. The black polygon shows the outlineof the watersheds of the AC and Am which drain to and throughMPP (shown in the red circle). Elevation is in meters.

Prior to February 2009, the early warning system in MPPwas limited to observation posts located at various points 1to 2 km upstream of MPP along the banks of the AC andAm. In practice, these posts were only manned during pe-riods of elevated risk, for example, after a marked reductionin water flow was observed following a period of unusuallyheavy rain. In such cases, observers were dispatched up riverto their posts with instructions to immediately report any un-usual sights or sounds either via cell phone or 2-way FMradio. In practice, the GFG team observed that cell phoneand 2-way FM radio communication were problematic atmany locations along these steep narrow valleys. Further-more, eyewitnesses reported that “huaycos” could easily at-tain flow velocities exceeding 10 m/s and might easily reachMPP before any response to the observer’s warning could betaken. It was also unclear whether changes in flow in thelowest reaches of the AC during periods of intense rain canbe reliably correlated with floodwater accumulation severalkilometers higher up. The current alert system relies on theskilled judgment of a few individuals, and is prone to de-graded performance at night.

5 System configuration

The early warning system was to be wholly based on tech-nologies deemed appropriate to the local setting, which inaddition to the severe physical environment also includedvarious significant logistical and administrative constraints.From the outset, considerable attention was given to identify-

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Figure 6. Quickbird image of MPP showing the AC and Am Rivers. The square blue arrows 2

show areas where the channel changes direction and overtopping has occurred historically. 3

Note that the two ‘safe’ areas shown in green appear to be at risk. Two rail bridges are shown 4

as 1 and 2, upstream of which are curved blue arrows that show where a flow could back-up 5

and overbank. 6

Fig. 6. Quickbird image of MPP showing the AC and Am Rivers.The square blue arrows show areas where the channel changes di-rection and overtopping has occurred historically. Note that the two“safe” areas shown in green appear to be at risk. Two rail bridgesare shown as 1 and 2, upstream of which are curved blue arrows thatshow where a flow could back-up and overbank.

ing robust power-efficient technologies that could be reason-ably expected to survive extended exposures to rain and/orhigh humidity. The intended purpose of the technologydemonstration was to show that it was technically feasibleto improve upon the capabilities of the existing municipalearly warning system. In particular, the GFG team sought toprovide a template for the future development of a hardenedpermanent system, which could be used by the Civil Defenseauthorities to monitor weather, river flow, and slope stabilityalong the lower reaches of the AC River, thereby assistingin emergency management decision making. The majorityof candidate technologies selected to achieve these aims hadnever been deployed in similar terrain, at similar altitudes,or in similar climatic conditions. Planning for the installa-tion of these technologies had to be based on coarse-scaleknowledge of terrain and urban structure derived mainlyfrom our initial preliminary geohazards assessment in May2008, from a digital elevation model derived from the 3 arcsecond SRTM data, and aerial photographs taken in Septem-ber 2006. Improved geospatial understanding was achievedearly in the second site visit and three critical points in the ACriver system were identified. These were a steep and narrowrockwalled canyon, the energy dissipation structure (EDS),and the outflow into the Vilcanota River (Fig. 7). Identifi-cation of these enabled an informed down-selection of tech-nologies to be made to those that could be effectively de-ployed at these points under local conditions. Once this wasachieved, the expanded aim became to design and to leave inplace a working prototype that could monitor the three criti-cal points.



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Figure 7. Simplified plan of the prototype early warning system installed on March 6, 2009 2

along a 1541 m section of the Aquas Calientes River. Inset A shows a view upstream to a 3

narrow granite walled canyon. Inset B shows a view downstream to the energy dissipation 4

structure (EDS). Inset C shows a view on the edge of the engineered channel on the edge of 5

the town. Inset D from the Hostel Jamie down to the confluence on the Aquas Calientes River 6

with the Vilcanota River. 7

Fig. 7. Simplified plan of the prototype early warning system installed on 6 March 2009 along a 1541 m section of the Aquas Calientes River.Inset A shows a view upstream to a narrow granite walled canyon. Inset B shows a view downstream to the energy dissipation structure(EDS). Inset C shows a view on the edge of the engineered channel on the edge of the town. Inset D from the Hostel Jamie down to theconfluence on the Aquas Calientes River with the Vilcanota River.

Candidate technologies from three general categories wereevaluated under local conditions. These were communica-tion, sensing, and power which will now be discussed in turn.

5.1 Communication

For communication ten candidates were examined. Two sec-tors of fiber optic cable (6 mm OD, 9/125 single mode, du-plex, grade D, 500 m with 0.3 m ST terminated breakouts)were deployed up and down from the EDS, each was two500 m links spliced inside Multilink (Starfighter #1120-F)boxes. This formed the backbone for a local area network(LAN). Once routes had been cleared in the rainforest andthrough cluttered urban scape of MPP, the cable was easy todeploy, splice and to check for continuity with laser light.It requires no power. Careful routing and regular inspectionwas essential since periodic damage was inevitable but man-ageable. Four Ethernet switches were located, one each atthe canyon, EDS, Hotel Jaime and at the Municipal Center(Fig. 7). These provided two-way communication with mul-tiple IP-devices on the LAN. Each switch has eight electri-cal ports, two optical ports and supports 1 GB per seconddata rate. Each port requires 2 wires or fibers and sup-ports full duplex. They were easy to deploy but requireda clean dry environment and must be protected. Opticaltransceivers (100BASE-LX/LH SFP) were used to performelectro-optical conversion and were easy to deploy but must

be protected. A wireless bridge (Client Bridge-Access Pointpair, rated to 1500 m without an extended antenna, 2.4 GHzPower over Ethernet PoE) was used to test the performancefrom the Hotel Jaime to the Municipal Center (Figs. 7, 8).This had the advantage of being lower cost than cable in anurban setting. In practice it proved difficult to deploy in MPPdue to the need for roof access on private dwellings, powerand line of sight (LOS). Once installed it required negligiblemaintenance but could be disabled by a power failure, space-use dispute or loss of LOS due to construction. Computingpower was provided by non-ruggedized laptops (Core2Duo,2.4 GHz, 3 GB, 250 GB, 1600×1200) that were protectedin a waterproof case. These laptops ran surveillance soft-ware that allowed for control, management and analysis ofmultiple video feeds, including motion triggered alarms andpan/tilt/zoom. Cellular phone coverage was available fromtwo Peruvian telecommunications providers but coverage islimited and inconsistent outside MPP in the AC drainagebasin. FM commercial radios worked at many locations butwere often unavailable, in the wrong place or discharged.Despite its inconsistency it was necessary and useful. At thesite of the EDS, an autonomous weather station was installedwhich had an Iridium modem for up-linking data. In this lo-cation, up-link was inconsistent on a fixed hourly schedule.Terrain shadowing was likely responsible and may be over-come either by repeated attempts (if power is available) or by



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Figure 8. Communication, Sensors and Power elements in the prototype early warning 2

system. Inset A shows an IP camera mounted up on a tree platform 190 m stand from the 3

narrow granite walled canyon. Inset B shows a portable generator used to power the camera in 4

Inset A. Inset C shows an Ethernet switch and laptop located at the energy dissipation 5

structure. The image on the screen is the feed from a camera mounted to view the flow level. 6

Inset D shows the wireless bridge at the Hostel Jamie to the Municipal Center. Inset E shows 7

a computer terminal at the Municipal centre with an Ethernet switch. The operator is able to 8

view feeds from an IP camera or weather station on the LAN. Inset F shows the team of 9

municipal workers trained to set-up and maintain the equipment in the prototype warning 10

system. 11

Fig. 8. Communication, Sensors and Power elements in the prototype early warning system. Inset A shows an IP camera mounted up on atree platform 190 m stand-off from the narrow granite walled canyon. Inset B shows a portable generator used to power the camera in InsetA. Inset C shows an Ethernet switch and laptop located at the energy dissipation structure. The image on the screen is the feed from a cameramounted to view the flow level. Inset D shows the wireless bridge at the Hostel Jamie to the Municipal Center. Inset E shows a computerterminal at the Municipal center with an Ethernet switch. The operator is able to view feeds from an IP camera or weather station on theLAN. Inset F shows the team of municipal workers trained to set-up and maintain the equipment in the prototype warning system.

coordinating attempts with scheduled satellite passes. Theoptimal site for our configuration of autonomous weatherstations is higher up the watershed in the headwaters. Po-sitional information was recorded using hand-held GlobalPositioning System for reference to other geospatial data.When compared with georeferenced ASTER images, GPSlocations were found to be poor, likely due to constraintson visible sky coverage at ground level in steep terrain withoverhead rainforest canopy. At present Peru has no signalcorrection similar to the Wide Area Augmentation System(WAAS) available in North America.

5.2 Sensors

For sensors, eight technologies were tested. Three IP-videocamera types were installed that we designated as: utility(1.3 Mega Pixel (MPx) D/N IP Camera, with internal infra-red LED illuminator ring, 3.3–12 mm lens, PoE), premium (5MPx D/N IP Camera, with mechanical filter, 4–10 mm lens,PoE), and precision (3 MPx IP Camera, motorized 8–48 mmlens, and does not support PoE). The IP-video utility cam-era provides potential for night vision at reasonable cost butin cold wet night-time weather, the transparent viewport de-veloped a ring of localized fogging. This was resolved bymounting them in a larger heated and ventilated enclosure

(Fig. 8) but night vision was degraded. These cameras do notwork in “total” darkness but can monitor illuminated fidu-cials (Bulmer et al., 2007, 2009) within an otherwise darkscene. The IP-video premium camera was three times thecost of the IP-video utility camera and produced a picturequality that was visibly superior. In low light, the daylight fil-ter retracts increasing the gain and the ability to view in faintmoonlight without supplemental IR. It needed to be mountedin a heated enclosure. The IP-video precision camera wasfour times the cost of the utility camera, daytime vision onlybut permitted longer stand-offs (out to>2000 m). This wasbest suited for installation on a robotic base in a built struc-ture, with panoramic windows that then enable sequentialmonitoring of many slopes. Video was fed to the Munici-pality and to portable laptops (Fig. 8). Two different weatherstation technologies were demonstrated (Fig. 7). The firstwas a commercial unit installed at the Municipal Center witha well proven record. This had sensors that measured baro-metric pressure, relative humidity, temperature, dew point,wind direction and speed, rainfall, time and included a solarradiation shield. Power options were solar/battery/PoE. Con-nection was established via wireless (900 MHz), Ethernet ca-ble (LAN) to a computer and the Internet. For deploymentup in the AC basin, the second weather station technologywas custom designed and built to be autonomous, portable,



rugged, weather resistant and stand alone. This station con-tained a rain gauge tipping bucket, a barometric pressure sen-sor, wind sensor prop vane, multiple-plate free-standing ra-diation shield enclosing a temperature and relative humiditysensor, solar regulator, datalogger, Iridium short burst mo-dem with external antenna, and a sealed 25 Amp-hr 12 vlead-acid battery. The electronics and battery were containedin a hardened plastic case with weather resistant connectionsof the feedthroughs for cables from external sensors. Thiswas set-up at several locations around the EDS. All sensorswere made operational and data stored in the datalogger wassuccessfully retrieved using direct connection to a laptop andvia uplink over the Iridium satellite network with data servedover the internet to a dedicated web site.

5.3 Power

For power, seven candidates were examined. Upriver ofMPP on the Vilcanota River, is a hydroelectric plant thatsupplied electricity to the town. Residents reported regularpower outages. No power infrastructure extends up the ACdrainage basin to the EDS though the potential exists for in-stalling 5 to 10 kW pico-hydro stations. Two gasoline gen-erators (Inverter Generator, 120 VAC, 12 DC, rated 900 W,standard 2.5 liter tank provided power for 14 h) were usedoutside MPP to provide power to the prototype warning sys-tem (Fig. 8). These used∼4 liters per day, required weeklyoil changes and minimal maintenance over a life of∼1000 h.Methanol fuel cells and diesel generators were determined tobe impractical due to altitude, special fuel needs, cost andweight. Various types of solar photovoltaics were deployedand tested but it was found that that there was insufficientlight (hours× intensity) at all locations of interest. Power-over-Ethernet was provided through the design of the Ether-net switches selected and ran to all 8 ports per switch allow-ing IP-devices to be powered through RJ-45 communicationcable. This eliminated the need for transformers and separatepower cables. Switch mode power supplies were required forall switches, IP-sensors, computers, the wireless bridge androbotic base that were plugged into power outlets in MPPand the portable diesel generators. These proved extremelycost effective and avoided concern about power quality andvoltage.

6 Improved hazard warning

The primary objective of the technology demonstration wasto show that geohazard risk can be monitored continuouslyalong the AC River. A set of suitable technology was config-ured as a working prototype with a modular design that wasinitially able to collect data as much as 2000 m up-river fromthe Municipal Center. This was demonstrated and conveyedto the community on 6 March 2009, and a local team (Fig. 8)continued to operate it on an intermittent basis until mid-

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Figure 9. A schematic representation of the operating space of the GFG in working on the 2

Machu Picchu project. 3 Fig. 9. A schematic representation of the operating space of theGFG in working on the Machu Picchu project.

June. The secondary objective was to survey the AC Riverand its adjacent slopes, with sufficient accuracy to deter-mine lines-of-sight and to model channel carrying capacity.In practice, the range of useful coverage begins at the AC’sconfluence with the Vilcanota and ends at the Canyon. Thisproject proved the basic feasibility of technology-based haz-ard monitoring under local conditions (Farquhar and Bulmer,2009). Many lessons have been identified which provide a setof concise guidelines that define a recommended approach tofurther development of a permanent warning system in MPP.

7 Measures of effectiveness and operating space

The GFG became involved with MPP after it was approachedby the World Bank to provide expert advice and recommen-dations on geohazards. Over the two-year duration of theproject, the GFG conducted detailed site investigations inMPP and delivered technical written reports and oral pre-sentations on the geohazards and prototype warning systemto primary and secondary stakeholders. Despite highlight-ing high risk and poor preparedness, the February 2010 flooddemonstrated that few, if any, of the project recommenda-tions had been implemented. This raises questions as to howto measure the effectiveness of the work undertaken by theGFG. From the perspective of the expert user, the effective-ness of the work is evident from the findings of the geo-hazard assessment and the successful operation of the pro-totype warning system. Interactions between the GFG andexpert stakeholders were constructive and the significance ofthe work was understood and valued. Whereas the same ap-peared to be true of the interactions with non expert stake-holders, events surrounding the February 2010 flood revealedthat this was not the case. In fact, no written reports, oralpresentations or practical demonstrations given by the GFGappeared to influence the actions of non experts, even in the



context of an extended period of unusually heavy rain pre-ceding the flood. The effectiveness of the work of the GFGon non experts therefore appears to have been negligible.This is distressing and highlights the need for the interfacewith the non expert community to be considered at everystage in the development of any geohazard assessment andwarning system. In the context of the work of the GFG inPeru, this need was identified early and significant effort wasdevoted to understanding the operating environment (Fig. 8)which is complex due to the decentralized nature of govern-ment. The GFG attended meetings with expert and non ex-pert stakeholders at the international, national, provincial andlocal levels. Ultimately, events revealed that despite the re-mits of expert organizations, non experts were and are thekey decision makers. They have the findings of the GFG buthave chosen to-date not to act upon them. Achieving successwith non experts will likely require long term engagementand that is beyond the remit given to the GFG by the WorldBank.

Acknowledgements.Financial support for this project was providedby the University of Maryland Baltimore County and The WorldBank, and valuable technical services were graciously donatedby Najib Roshan. In addition, GFG wishes to acknowledge theinvaluable assistance of JCET and Mechanical Engineering staffat UMBC, MINCETUR and COPESCO, PeruRail, the HotelInkaterra, theAlcaldeand Municipal Government of Machu PicchuPueblo, and many individual stakeholders. Of these, Sr. Jaime Cor-doba deserves special recognition for a selfless contribution toincreased community security. The authors would also like to thankMasud Roshan, David Finnegan and CRREL, and Margarita Pajaro.

Edited by: T. GladeReviewed by: H. Paulsen and another anonymous referee

References

Marocco, R.: Geologie des Andes Peruviennes: Un segmentW. E. de la chaine des Andes Peruviennes; la deflexionD’Abancy-Etude geologique de la Cordillere Orientale et deshauts plateaux entre Cusco et San Miguel, PhD thesis, Academiede Montpellier, Universite des Sciences et Techniques deLanguedoc, Montpellier, France, 1977.

Bulmer, M. H., Farquhar, T., Roshan, M, Akhtar, S. S., and Wahla,S. K.: Landslide Hazards After the 2005 Kashmir Earthquake,EOS, Transactions, American Geophysical Union, 88(5), 53–55,2007.

Bulmer, M. H., Farquhar, T., and Roshan, M.: Effective use ofFiducial-based photogrammetry for tracking large scale outdoormotion, J. Exp. Eng.Techs., 34(1), 40–47, doi:10.1111/j.1747-1567.2008.00474, 2008.

Bulmer, M. H. and Farquhar, T.: First Report Peru: Vilcanota ValleySlope Monitoring for Flash Flood Prevention. May 2008. Geo-physical Flow Observatory/ Landslide Mitigation Group Confi-dential Report to the World Bank, GFLO 08-05.1, 27 pp., 2008.

Farquhar, T. and Bulmer, M. H.: Second Report Peru: VilcanotaValley Slope Monitoring for Flash Floods and Other NaturalHazards. Geophysical Flow Observatory/Landslide MitigationGroup. Confidential Report to the World Bank. GFLO#09.20-MPP, 54 pp., 2009.


Documents

Design and installation of a Prototype Geohazard ...Machu Picchu, Peru. Then, on 25 February 2010, torrential ﬂooding of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River valley severed the narrow gauge