New Water Policy and Practice Volume 1, Number 2 - Spring 2015 | Page 60

New Water Policy and Practice - Volume 1, Number 2 - Spring 2015

Integrated Flood Risk Management, Lessons from the
Rhine and Danube for South Asia
Robert BrearsA
The South Asia region is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change
flooding events leading to severe economic losses. With flood risks being
transboundary, there is the potential for instability and state fragility to lead
to migration and displacement, weak governance and overall geo-political
instability in the South Asia region. Europe has experience in managing
transboundary flood risks, having implemented the EU Flood Directive, which
calls for transboundary actions to mitigate flood risks. Using existing platforms
for cooperation, Europe can transfer knowledge on Integrated Flood Risk
Management expertise from the Rhine and Danube to the South Asia region to
ensure regional economic and political stability.
Keywords: private sector; water governance; privatization; regulation; incentives

Introduction

S

outh Asia is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change flood events.
According to the Asia Development Bank India, in addition to Bangladesh,
Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives would lose around 1.8% of their
gross domestic product by 2050 and almost 9% by 2100 from climate change disasters
if the world follows a “business as usual” approach to climate change mitigation: no
change in the use of fossil fuels in the global economy (ADB 2014). It is projected
that with climate change extreme weather events, including flooding the losses will be
even greater. India and the rest of the region is already susceptible to flooding events:
in June 2013 alone, the North India floods claimed over 5,000 lives while 100,000
people required rescuing after villages and towns were destroyed from landslides and
flooding (Flood List 2013). Over the past decade Europe has suffered from numerous
flooding events leading to loss of life, displacement of people, and damage to
infrastructure and property: between 1998 and 2009, Europe suffered over 213 major
flooding events causing 1,126 deaths, the displacement of half a million people and at
least EUR 52 billion in insured economic losses. With climate change, the frequency
of flooding in Europe is set to double by 2050 resulting in average annual flood losses
of around EUR 23 billion (The Independent 2014).
A

Founder of Mitidaption, Mark and Focus, and Visiting Scholar, MIIS at Monterey, United States.
This research was conducted as part of a Visiting Fellowship to the Free University of Berlin’s NFG,
Asian Perceptions of the EU
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