# Flash Floods Hazard to the Settlement Network versus Land Use Planning (Lublin Upland, East Poland)
## 5 Discussion  
The analyses carried out indicated a potential threat to buildings and infrastructure associated with the occurrence of episodic surface runoff. The analyzed municipalities have from 600 to more than 2500 buildings located on runoff lines. The probability of flash floods occurring is difficult to assess due to ongoing changes in climate and the relatively short period covered by relevant studies. Due to the large number of variables and the scope of the study, hydrological modeling was not conducted. Instead, catchments were identified where natural conditions and land use favor the formation of surface runoff. The way to reduce this threat is appropriate land management. Land use planning should be a platform to integrate naturalists, planners, and the public. However, it turns out that even the most basic hydrological knowledge is not used in the rational use of space in the case of phenomena such as flash floods. Our research has indicated that in areas prone to such phenomena, specific planning conditions are not included in the relevant documents. This poses specific threats to existing and future buildings. The analyses conducted did not confirm the research hypothesis--the existence of a potentially high threat does not affect its recognition and prevention in spatial planning. The problem of flash floods should be considered in a multifaceted manner, taking into consideration the use of the catchment to the intensity of urbanization processes. The peculiarities of how sub-catchments function, the possibilities for retention, and the situation regarding water runoff and its consequences cannot be overlooked. Realistically, when it comes to future changes, municipalities will need to exert control over new buildings and infrastructure. When deciding on a location for new construction, it is advisable to try to exclude susceptible catchments from development or adopt spatial and technical solutions that will limit material losses due to flooding. In relation to agricultural land, measures including better retention of water in the ground and slowing of runoff must be indicated. The way in which sub-catchments are used and managed already 'at the source' of the formation of the flash floods can reduce the threat in river valleys. In some of the analyzed territorial units (Poniatowa, Trzydnik Duzy, Urzedow), small rivers were not included in the flood hazard assessment and do not lie within the scope of the MZP and MRP sheets. The functional and spatial structure, as well as the local natural system, should be shaped taking into account the problem of flash floods, through the designation of zones subject to this hazard. On the other hand, currently there is no formal basis for excluding the threatened areas from development. This only occurs in cases where flood risk is indicated on the MZP. There is no administrative-legal instrument that requires such exclusions in other river valleys or dry sub-catchments which are susceptible to flash floods. In the current situation, the focus should be on limiting intense socio-economic functions, ensuring that any development is in a suitable location, meeting the technical conditions of buildings and land use requirements in developed plots (such as the proportion of biologically active areas), and delineating potential runoff lines and ensuring runoff of water resulting from flash floods. The role of municipal studies is minor due to the legal nature of these documents. Improving the flood risk management process is necessary, but 'the reduction of flood risk, understood globally as a combination of hazard, exposure, and susceptibility, is a rather distant goal' ([PERSON], 2017). The United States is considered the world leader in flood risk reduction. EU countries are adopting various risk reduction strategies ([PERSON], 2017). Certainly, coordination of top-down and bottom-up efforts is essential. In both the United States ([PERSON], 2017) and Europe, the approach to countering flood risk is changing.