The search for the lost flood culture: The International Flood Initiative

摘要

This paper is written on behalf of the International Flood Initiative (IFI), an inter-agency initiativewhich has been launched during the World Conference on Disaster Reduction, 18–22 Jan 2005, Kobe, Hyogo,Japan.It is based on the emerging concept document as of early 2005 and its objective is to introduce the IFI.Floods are the most taxing type of water-related natural disasters to humans, material assets, as well as to culturaland ecological resources – affecting about 520 million people and their livelihoods (UNDP, 2004) claimingabout 25 K lives annually worldwide.Whilst floods are not restricted to the least developed nations, it is theleast developed nations that suffer the highest human and economic toll from the occurrence of floods.Improper landuse, extreme deforestation, and unsustainable use of water resources contribute to the hazardsassociated with floods in developing countries.It is now estimated that one billion people – one sixth of theglobal population, the majority of them among the world's poorest inhabitants – live today in the potential pathof a 100-year flood.With the frequency and variability of extreme weather events mounting because of climate change, rising sealevels, and deforestation – coupled with the population growth in flood-prone areas – the number of peopleworldwide vulnerable to devastating floods is expected to double to two billion by 2050 (Bogardi, 2004).Disaster risk reduction actions will therefore be increasingly required to build up the necessary capacity to copewith floods.It is within this context that a new perspective on risk management and risk assessment needs to be developed –one that recognizes risk reduction as an integral part of water resource management and which aims tomaximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainabilityof vital systems.Appropriate risk mitigation investment, and the redirection of resources into flood disasterprevention offers significant economic benefits as well as reduction in loss of life and property,improvements in welfare and social stability.The International Flood Initiative promotes an integrated approach to flood management in order to reducefatalities, property losses, environmental effects and other hardships that result from floods and at the same timeconsider the long-term benefits from floods and the use of flood plains.This initiative will be a major contributionto meeting the Millennium Development Goals and to the UN International Decade for Action: "Waterfor Life" (2005–2015).Integrated flood management (IFM) is a process that promotes an integrated, rather than fragmented, approachto flood management.Risk can be visualized as a function of the hazard and its potential impacts.IFM aims atreducing the human and socio-economic losses from flooding and at the same time considering the social, economic,and ecological benefits from floods and use of flood plains.It integrates land and water resources development,includes the institutional components of flood risk management, and recognizes the critical importanceof stakeholder participation.IFM calls for a paradigm shift from the traditional fragmented to a more holisticapproach to flood management.This is the philosophy of the International Flood Initiative/Programme.