Governments session, Risk and planning

1. Time f or Pr event ive
Act ion!
Set t ing t he Scene:
Wat er Relat ed
Disast er Risk
Reduct ion
16 – 01 - 2015
UN-Wat er - Zaragoza
Niels Vlaanderen

2. Worldwide increase of flood frequency and
damage
16 January 2015
• More f loods, mor e damage, incr easing r isk
• Dr ought s

3. Causes
16 January 2015
• Populat ion growt h
• Urbanisat ion
• Climat e change,
• I nadequat e land & wat er management
Royal Colloquium: Cities at RiskRoyal Colloquium: Cities at Risk –– A Warmer World and the Big Chill for Urban PlannersA Warmer World and the Big Chill for Urban Planners
Wolfgang Kron:Wolfgang Kron: Don‘t leave the cities alone . . .Don‘t leave the cities alone . . .
World population
Population Trends
AD
1927: 2bn
1960: 3bn
1974: 4bn
1987: 5bn
1999: 6bn
2012: 7bn
2026: 8bn
2043: 9bn
1804: 1bn

4. Lessons learned
16 January 2015
• I mpor t ance of awar eness / Sense of urgency
• I nvest in under st anding t he pr oblem and
adopt ing adapt ive appr oaches
• Take pr event ive measur es:
Pr event ion pays!
• Zer o r isk doesn’t exist

5. Message 1
Climat e shif t s and ot her global changes are
already impact ing wat er-relat ed disast ers
16 January 2015
Message 2
Disast er Risk Reduct ion, Wat er Resources
Management and Climat e Adapt at ion should
no longer be t reat ed as separat e t opics

6. Message 3
Use new data and tools; optimize risk
awareness and emergency planning
Message 4
Risk reduction, preparation and
prevention pay off in terms of reduced
loss of life, avoided damage, and long-
term economic growth and stability
16 January 2015

7. Message 5
Integrate risk prevention & long- term
planning: create opportunities for
synergies with planned investments, incl.
plans for adaptation to climate change
Message 6
Uncertainties are no excuse for inaction:
be flexible and adaptive
16 January 2015

8. 16 January 2015

9. The Delt aplan
r evisit ed
Changing per spect ives
in t he Net her lands’
f lood r isk r educt ion
philosophy

10. Global Trends
16 January 2015
• More f loods, mor e damage, mor e
r isk
• Due t o populat ion gr owt h,
ur banisat ion, climat e change,
inadequat e land & wat er
managementRoyal Colloquium: Cities at RiskRoyal Colloquium: Cities at Risk –– A Warmer World and the Big Chill for Urban PlannersA Warmer World and the Big Chill for Urban Planners
Wolfgang Kron:Wolfgang Kron: Don‘t leave the cities alone . . .Don‘t leave the cities alone . . .
World population
Population Trends
AD
1927: 2bn
1960: 3bn
1974: 4bn
1987: 5bn
1999: 6bn
2012: 7bn
2026: 8bn
2043: 9bn
1804: 1bn

11. Wat er & The Net herlands: Long t erm
hist ory
16 January 2015
1580 1700 2000

12. 1953 Disaster
16 January 2015
Const ruct ion of dams and barr ier s

13. Changed perspective in the Netherlands
• From fighting against water to living with water
• Pro-active approach, building resilience
16 January 2015

14. The Deltaplan revisited: from flood
protection to integrated risk management
• a minimum saf et y level f or each cit izen in t he
Net her lands (a probabilit y t o die due t o a f lood
of at most 1/ 100,000 per year ),
• t he int roduct ion of a new set of saf et y
st andards f or t he Dut ch f lood def ences based
on a societ al cost -benef it analysis,
• count er act ing social disr upt ion in case of
f looding, and
• prot ect ing vit al and vulner able inf rast ruct ur e.
16 January 2015

15. The Deltaplan revisited
• Legislat ion – Programme – Fund – Commissioner -
I mplement at ion
• Forward-looking – f lexible adapt ive appr oach
• Mult i-layer saf et y
• Mult ilevel gover nance
• Part icipat ion
• I nt egr at ed risk management
16 January 2015

16. Building with nature
16 January 2015

17. From concept to action
16 January 2015
• DRR – WRM – Climat e Adapt at ion –
Development should go hand in hand (NL -DRR
f acilit y)
• Connect nat ional experiences t o int er nat ional
f rameworks (cooperat ion Nl – OECD, NL – WB)
• Assure basic r equirement s: f unding, good
governance, st akeholder involvement , capacit y

18. Messages
• Be prepared f or more ext reme event s and even higher impact s of
disast er s.
• Disast er Risk Reduct ion, Wat er Resources Management and Climat e
Adapt at ion should no longer be t reat ed as separat e t opics
• Use new dat a and t ools f or risk assessment t o ident if y and
priorit ize act ions. I mprove preparedness of cit izens in t erms of
risk awareness and emergency planning
• Risk reduct ion, preparat ion and prevent ion are sensible invest ment s
t hat pay of f in t erms of reduced loss of lif e, avoided damage, and
long-t erm economic growt h and st abilit y.
• Risk prevent ion should be int egr at ed wit h long-t erm planning and
creat e opport unit ies f or synergies wit h planned invest ment s,
including plans f or adapt at ion t o climat e change.
• Uncer t aint ies are no excuse f or inact ion: be f lexible and adapt ive
16 January 2015

19. Thank you!
16 January 2015