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MANAGING RISKS

Targets

Bonn Recommendations for Action (2001):
'Water management arrangements should take account of climate variability and expand the capacity to identify trends, manage risks and adapt to hazards such as floods and droughts. Anticipation and prevention are more effective and less expensive than having to react to emergencies. Early warning systems should become an integral part of water resources development and planning.'

World Summit on Sustainable Development, Plan of Implementation (2002):
'...combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought and floods through such measures as improved use of climate and weather information and forecasts, early warning systems, land and natural resource management, agricultural practices and ecosystem conservation particularly in African as one of the tools for poverty eradication.'

Type of water-related natural disasters, 1990-2001

Distribution of water-related disasters, 1990-2001
Type of water-related natural disasters, 1990-2001 figure extracted from the WWDR Distribution of water-related disasters, 1990-2001 figure extracted from the WWDR
More than 2,200 major and minor water-related disasters occurred in the world between 1990 and 2001. Asia and Africa were the most affected continents, with floods accounting for half of these disasters.
[Figure source]: Extracted from the Executive Summary of the World Water Development report. CRED (Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters). 2002. The OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database. Brussels, Université Catholique de Louvain.

General statistics

There were 2,200 water-related disasters from 1990 to 2001.
   - Floods: 50%
   - Water-borne and vector disease outbreaks: 28%
   - Droughts: 11%
   - Landslide and avalanche events: 9%
   - Famine: 2%

Geographical breakdown:
   - Africa: 29%
   - Asia: 35%
   - The Americas: 20%
   - Europe: 13%
   - Oceania: 3%

50,000 deaths were due to natural disasters in 1999, 40,000 in 1998.

Natural disasters cost a total of US$70 billion in 1999, compared to US$30 billion in 1990.

Droughts accounted for 280,000 deaths between 1991 and 2000.

Trends in food emergencies

The proportion of food emergencies that are human-induced is rising:
   - In 1981, 58% of food emergencies were due to natural disasters, 15% were human-induced.
   - In 1997, 71% were due to natural disasters, 29% human-induced.
   - In 2001, 61% were induced by natural disasters, compared to 39% human-induced.

Floods

Floods account for 15% of all deaths related to natural disasters, famines for 42%.

Approximately 66 million people suffered flood damage from 1973 to 1997.

Between 1987 and 1997, 44% of all flood disasters affected Asia, claiming 228,000 lives (roughly 93% of all flood-related deaths worldwide). Economic losses for the region totalled US$136 billion.

Developing countries

From 1992 to 2001, developing countries accounted for 20% of the total number of disasters, and over 50% of all disaster fatalities.

Approximately 13 times more people die per reported disaster in developing countries than in developed countries.

Definitions
Disaster: this is a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society causing widespread human, material, economic and/or environmental losses.

Risk: the probability of harmful consequences, or expected human injury, environmental damage, loss of life, property and livelihood, resulting from interactions between natural or human hazards and vulnerable conditions.

 

Most of this information is based on figures provided by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR).

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