Floods are the most common natural disaster and cause more deaths and damage than any other type. Yet floods also sustain aquatic life and riverine biodiversity, recharge aquifers, enrich soils and, in some of the world’s poorest areas, provide an important means of irrigation.
Affects the already vulnerable
One of the most severe by-products of global warming and climate change is increasing and widespread drought, which will affect a large number of nations in the future, especially those in regions already prone to experiencing such phenomena. Droughts have a major impact on food security, especially for vulnerable populations, and also can have major long-term socio-economic impacts. Countries reliant on hydropower for electricity generation experience power shortages. Countries reliant upon rain-fed agriculture can find that the GDP for the country as a whole is significantly reduced in times of drought.
Building resilience
The challenge is to reduce the negative impact of floods and droughts on human lives and livelihoods by reducing the risk of such disasters, and by building resilience of people and communities. Prediction and monitoring are key to developing early warning systems and disaster preparedness. Approaches should be holistic, taking into account the needs of communities, the built environment, and aquatic ecosystems within the catchment or river basin where they occur. Hence water-related disaster management needs to be integrated with other planning spheres at the catchment level, and also address the fact that many poor people live in high risk locations.