IMPACT OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT ON THE CHANGE OF DRAINED LAND IN KAUNAS DISTRICT

Abstract

Urbanization processes in Lithuania have been intensifying in recent decades, particularly in major cities and their suburban areas. The Kaunas district is one of the fastest-urbanizing areas in the country, where the development of residential neighborhoods and infrastructure often takes place on former agricultural land. These areas were historically drained, so urban development has a direct impact on the functioning of the existing drainage infrastructure and its transformation. Due to the aging of drainage systems, changes in land use, and the development of these areas, parts of the drainage networks are losing their original function, which may affect the hydrological regime of the areas and increase the risk of waterlogging.

The results of the study showed that decommissioned drainage systems in the Kaunas district are distributed unevenly and are more frequently concentrated in areas undergoing intensive urban development. It was found that the majority of the systems were decommissioned after reaching a service life of 41–50 years, which corresponds to the design service life of drainage systems. It was also found that the decommissioning of land improvement systems took place in two main phases—in 2010 and 2016. The study results indicate that urbanization processes, combined with the aging of land improvement infrastructure, are driving complex hydrological and engineering changes in the territories. Therefore, when planning urban development, it is important to integrate the assessment of drainage infrastructure into territorial planning processes to avoid potential waterlogging and drainage problems in the future.