Download Urban Flood Management in the Asia Pacific: Context and Key Issues Donovan Storey

Urban Flood Management
in the Asia Pacific:
Context and Key Issues
Donovan Storey
Chief, Sustainable Urban Development, Environment & Development Division
Regional Workshop on Climate Change and Urban Flood Management
March 19-20, 2013 | Daegu, Republic of Korea
STRUCTURE OF THE PRESENTATION
• The Big Picture: context, urban growth patterns,
urban flood vulnerability in Asia and the Pacific
• Key Challenges: inadequacy of responses, resources,
and the consequences
• Looking Forward: the need for new institutional
frameworks, mechanisms and priorities in response
to the challenge
ESCAP : The regional arm of
the UN for Asia-Pacific
• Part of UN Secretariat : 62 member states – 58 are regional
members
• ESCAP covers the world’s most populous region - two thirds of
humanity
• Based in Bangkok, with 4 Sub-regional offices
• ESCAP fosters:
– regional cooperation to promote social & economic
development
– normative, analytical & technical cooperation at the
regional level
– a platform for South-South dialogue / exchange of practices
Rio+20: A renewed urban sustainability agenda
 Clear references to cities & local government
 Meeting urban challenges ‘through integrated
planning & management approaches, cities can
promote economically, socially &
environmentally sustainable societies’ (para
134)
• Focus on ‘sustainable urban planning & design’
and the importance of considering disaster risk
reduction, resilience and climate risks in urban
planning (para 135)
• Underlined ‘the need to adopt measures to
address floods, droughts, and water’ (para 123)
THE BIG PICTURE
PATTERNS OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT: GROWTH
 2010: 1.8billion / 43% of
region lived in cities
 2020: 2.2billion / 52%
 2050: 3.2billion+/ 64%
THE BIG PICTURE
PATTERNS OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT: LOCATION
 Majority of Asia-Pacific’s major cities are
riverine or coastal
 Asian coastal megacities: concentration of
population, assets, economic & industrial
development and infrastructure
 These cities are ranked as having the
highest levels of risk to urban flooding
globally
THE BIG PICTURE
RISING THREAT FROM URBAN FLOODING:
ASIA-PACIFIC IS THE MOST FLOOD-PRONE REGION
Average physical exposure to floods assuming constant hazard (in thousands of people per year).
Data from Peduzzi et al., 2011.
Source: IPCC Special Report, 2012
THE BIG PICTURE
FLOODS DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECT THE
ASIA-PACIFIC REGION
THE BIG PICTURE
ECONOMIC EXPOSURE TO FLOODS: BY SUBREGION
THE BIG PICTURE
CLIMATE CHANGE AND URBANIZATION: AMPLIFIED FLOOD RISK
Number of natural disasters reported 1900 - 2011
Increase in urban population in Asia (millions)
6000
5000
millions
4000
3000
2000
1000
urban pop
total pop
0
1950
Floods
Floods
Data Source: EM-DAT/CRED
Frequency of floods has been increasing
over the last century
1970
2011
2030
2050
By 2050, urban population is projected to
reach 64 per cent (APDR, 2012)
THE BIG PICTURE
URBAN EXPANSION INTO FLOOD-PRONE AREAS
• The primary urban agglomerations with the highest
concentrations of people mostly overlap with the
areas of high risk related to disasters
(APDR, 2012)
THE BIG PICTURE
DIRECT IMPACTS ON LIVES & PROPERTY
WILL INCREASE IN BOTH SCALE AND SCOPE
Millions
Population in millions affected by floods in Asia-Pacific, 1960 - 2011
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
Millions
Damage from Floods in Asia-Pacific (USD), 1960 - 2011
Total
10 year moving
average
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Data Source:
EM-DAT/CRED
THE BIG PICTURE
INDIRECT IMPACTS ON ECONOMY ARE GREAT
The devastating floods
in Bangkok region in
2011 cost US$4b; sharp
GDP decline of 8.9%,
Affected manufacturing,
services & housing
security
Source: NESDB, 2012
THE BIG PICTURE
KEY CHALLENGES
WEAK INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORKS & MECHANISMS
• A lack of efficient and effective institutional frameworks and
mechanisms supported by finance hampers effective planning
for and responses to urban flooding
a. Limited authority
b. Insufficient
resources for local
governments
c. Weak coordination
between different
tiers of
governments
Limited achievement
attained
KEY CHALLENGES
Source: Berse, 2012
LIMITED FLOOD MANAGEMENT IN SPATIAL PLANNING
• Critical gaps in the integration of urban flood management in
the context of urban planning; weakens natural and planned
response systems
Settlements have grown
in flood-prone areas by
12.5% (population)
between 2000 and 2010
(APDR, 2012)
Low-income settlement submerged under flood water, suburban
Cainta City, east of Manila, Philippines, August 9, 2012.
KEY CHALLENGES
PARTNERSHIP GAPS BETWEEN CRITICAL ACTORS
• Weak partnerships between
critical actors limit the
opportunities to harness local
knowledge and technologies
–
–
–
–
Industry sectors
Research institutions
Civil society
Government
• There is limited data or sharing
of data, e.g. flood risk & hazard
maps
KEY CHALLENGES
FINANCIAL RESOURCES AT LOCAL LEVEL
• Considerable financial gaps at local level
constrain local governments to deliver
necessary structural measures such as flood
control infrastructure
– Limited local fiscal autonomy
KEY CHALLENGES
WAYS FORWARD
NEW INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORKS
• That empower local governments with authority and resources
• That facilitate coordination and enhance institutional coherence
In Indonesia, shift in institutional arrangements has been stimulated
by the 2004 tsunami (APDR, 2012).
Centralized,
sectoral, responsefocused approach
Localized, inclusive,
cooperative
approach
– National law (No.24/2007) passed with support for reform
– National Action Plan created by central and local representatives
– Specific Disaster Management functions assigned to subnational and
local authorities
WAYS FORWARD
NEW PREPAREDNESS & RESPONSE MECHANISMS
• AD-HOC  PROACTIVE
• FRAGEMENTED  INTEGRATED
Source: Baca Architects
Urban Planning (e.g. land use plans, flood zoning)
WAYS FORWARD
STRENGTHEN NATURAL AND PLANNED SYSTEMS
• Greater attention to spatial
planning, incl. river basins &
coasts
• More commitment to natural
barriers and habitat (e.g.
mangroves; river basin
vegetation)
• Enhancing eco-systems and
planning systems which
‘make place for water’
• Proactive & prioritized flood
management, planning &
preparedness
WAYS FORWARD
PROMOTE MULTI-STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
• With business/industry – harness
Public Private Partnership
• With research institutes – link
knowledge & practices
• With civil society – gather local
knowledge & wider support
A rural neighborhood in Phitsanulok, Thailand involved
in flood impact evaluation. (World Bank, 2012)
WAYS FORWARD
MOBILIZE & LOCALIZE FINANCIAL RESOURCES
• Expand sources of revenue
• Earmark budgets for urban flood management
• Financially empower the key players
WAYS FORWARD
ON A BROAD SCALE:
HOLISTIC SOLUTIONS
WAYS FORWARD
WORKSHOP AIMS & EXPECTED OUTCOMES
• Aims of the Regional Workshop on Climate Change and Urban
Flood Management
Identify priority challenges
Share knowledge and good practices
Formulate appropriate policy
recommendations and key actions
• Outcome document: policy recommendations
– Key message
– Priority challenges
– Recommended policy measures and actions
THANK YOU
Regional Workshop on Climate Change and Urban Flood Management
March 19-20, 2013 | Daegu, Republic of Korea