Effective Management Can Turn Floodwater from Liability into Asset, Forum Hears

MANILA, PHILIPPINES ( 17 October 2002) - Effective flood management eases the cycle of poverty and makes good fiscal sense, Geert Van Der Linden, ADB's Director General, East and Central Asia Department, today told the opening of a Regional Consultation Workshop on Poverty and Floods.

"Floods and the suffering of the poor in Asia should never be underestimated. They pay a large price in days of lost employment, damage to property, loss of livestock, destruction of crops, ill health and sometimes the ultimate price - loss of life," Mr. Van der Linden said.

"Yet, access to water can also bring great improvement to their lives and many communities, such as in Bangladesh, have developed ways of life which are well adapted to small recurrent floods that bring increased soil fertility, replenished groundwater, rejuvenated wetlands and increased fisheries."

He added that the challenge is to capitalize on the benefits of frequent low-intensity floods while, at the same time, relieving the impact of catastrophic events.

The Regional Consultation Workshop will explore links between floods and poverty and how governments and local urban and rural populations can better develop flood mitigation and management strategies.

Emphasis will be on case studies to draw lessons for improved flood management, with the outcome of the forum being a series of action-oriented resolutions in preparation for the 3rd World Water Forum, to be held in Japan in March 2003. More than 100 delegates from all sides of the flood management debate are attending.

The forum is being hosted by ADB in conjunction with Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Secretariat of the 3rd World Water Forum, and the Government of the Netherlands.

Mr. Van der Linden was joined on the platform for the opening ceremony by Mr. Hidetomi Oi, Senior Advisor at JICA; Mr. Kenjiro Izumi, Vice President of JICA and Mr. Takao Shiojima, Deputy Director General of the River Bureau of Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

In his address, Mr. Oi outlined the objectives of the workshop: "We come to this workshop with clear objectives - to build a better understanding of the linkages between floods and poverty in the Asia-Pacific region; to highlight good practices for flood mitigation and management; to develop proposals on pro-poor approaches; and to strengthen the regional network of development agencies addressing flood management issues," he said. "Let us hope that this workshop results in a series of practical proposals - not rhetoric but action."

Mr. Izumi called for the recommendations from an ADB co-hosted Regional Consultation Workshop on Water and Poverty in September in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to be applied to flood control projects.

"A demand-driven, participatory, partnership-based approach is essential for overcoming the issues of poverty and floods in the 21st Century," he said. " This, together with the other recommendations from Dhaka - well-planned investment, the development of institutional capabilities, greater transparency of information and shared understanding - will help us to reach the goal of flood mitigation together."

He also introduced three case studies of JICA's work in flood management. These included a comprehensive river basin development program in Indonesia; a post-disaster restoration project in the Philippines; and flood disaster mitigation in Bangladesh. All these examples have had positive effects on poverty alleviation.

Mr. Shiojima backed this up in his opening remarks, saying that "it is only through exchanging valuable knowledge and experience and discussing common challenges that we can discover better solutions." He highlighted Japan's approach to flood management and the improvements over the last 50 years.

Mr. Van der Linden challenged delegates to come up with alternatives to traditional flood management strategies, questioning "the large amount of money which has been spent building costly barriers." He also said that "total flood containment is neither realistic nor desirable in rural areas, where expensive flood control embankments interfere with the ecosystems of wetlands."

He argued for "well-balanced and complementary structural and non-structural flood control measures" as well as an examination of "the enormous scope in Asia to make houses less vulnerable to floods."

Mr. Van der Linden pointed out that devastating floods this year in Asia and Europe have focused the world's attention on the increasing severity and frequency of floods.

"In spite of the large amounts spent on flood defense structures, the damage and suffering continue to rise," he said. "There is an urgent need to develop sustainable flood management strategies based on lessons learned. The starting point this week must be a better understanding of affected people's livelihoods and a commitment that the needs of the poor be at the heart of all discussions."

Case studies from around Asia will be presented at the forum, including:

The Utilization of Flood Water to Cultivate Groundwater in Iran.

• Flood Proofing in Rural Bangladesh;
• Flood Forecasting along the Yangtsze River, People's Republic of China;
• Discussion on the Non-Structural Methods of Flood Mitigation;
• Flood Control in Urban Manila;
• River Basin Development in Indonesia;
• River Bank Protection in the Lao People's Democratic Republic;
• Flood Control Projects in Japan;
• Flood Forecasting in the Philippines and Nepal; and

The Utilization of Flood Water to Cultivate Groundwater in Iran.

The case study presentations will be completed on 18 October and a set of final outcomes will be published.