Planning with floods in the Lower Mekong Basin

1/28 The agenda Regulation

The agenda Infrastructure 2/28

The agenda Land use 3/28

The agenda Benefits of floods 4/28

The agenda Need to protect population, agriculture, infrastructure, environment Growing economic activity in flood-prone areas Flood management Interventions: Land use, infrastructure 5/28

reservoirs land use embankments waterways roads regulators The agenda Cross-border effects 6/28

Natural (physical/ecological) cause-effect relations (e.g. flow resistance and flood risk) Structural interaction, 'neighbour relations' (economy, infrastructure) (e.g. channel depth of a regional waterway; or regional tourism) Immaterial relations (e.g. knowledge-sharing) Cross-border effects 7/28

The basics Apart from the climate, the flood risk depends on...the runoff...the flow resistance - upstream & downstream...the storage capacity...structural protection... all of which respond to intervention! 8/28

The vulnerability to floods depend on...the flood risk...land use in flood-prone areas...awareness and preparedness...options for response & mitigation... all of which can be planned for & managed! The basics 9/28

Risk Vulnerability The basics... which is partly manageable! 10/28 Damage Exposure Sensitivity Benefits... which can be less manageable!

What is 'flood management'?... structural protection (dykes)...flood proofing...land use management...water management (storage operation)...awareness and preparedness (incl. FF)...capacity-building, research, knowledge-sharing 11/28

The MRC FMMP Flood Management & Mitigation Programme A development objective A strategy An implementation plan (or 'action plan') 12/28

The MRC FMMP Development objective "people's suffering and economic losses due to floods are prevented, minimized, or mitigated, while preserving the environmental benefits of floods." 13/28

Jul-Oct 2000Serious floods in the LMB Oct 2000MRC Council initiative Feb 2001Consultation workshop Aug - Sep 2001Consultations, workshops Nov 2001FMM strategy endorsed by Council Feb 2002FF expert meeting Apr 20021st Annual Flood Forum July - Oct 2002Consultations, workshops Nov 2002FMMP approved by Council The MRC FMMP Chronology 14/28

Draft FMMP FMMP components National workshops Revised draft FMMP Regional workshop Final draft FMMP... with participation by NMCs, line agencies, IOs, CSOs, donors... continuous dialogue with other MRC programmes The MRC FMMP Formulation process 15/28

Flood forecast services Information center Forum on floodplain management and flood preparedness Coordination of floodplain management Analytical services, setting of standards Neutral mediator of transboundary issues Capacity building and technology transfer The MRC FMMP Strategic roles of MRC 16/28

The MRC FMMP Implementation FMM strategy Guiding principlesPriorities Fields of intervention FMMP components 17/28

Basinwide significance; involve upstream partners; poverty alleviation & gender issues; sustainability; participatory approach; integrated action, avoidance of duplication; ecological benefits; and feasibility. The MRC FMMP Guiding principles 18/28

MRC role element Technical products & services provider Addressing differences & facilitation Land use planning Structural measures Flood preparedness Capacity-building & technology transfer Emergency response The MRC FMMP Fields of MRC intervention 19/28

MRC role element Technical products & services provider Addressing differences & facilitation Land use planning Medium priority Structural measures High priority Flood preparedness High priorityLow priority Capacity-building & technology transfer Medium priority Emergency response Medium priorityLow priority High priority The MRC FMMP Fields of MRC intervention 20/28

6 components 15 sub-components 39 outputs 52 activities... over 6 years Regional FMM Center Land use planning Structural measures Flood proofing Transboundary mediation Emergency management The MRC FMMP Implementation 21/28

FMMP Capacity-building Agriculture, irrigation, forestry FisheriesNavigation Water resources & hydrology The MRC FMMP Interfaces 22/28

2 different needs FMMP: A flood management strategy for MRC BDP: A flood management strategy for LMB Within MRC's mandate & capacity Full suite of LMB issues, potential, concerns 23/28

Why a BDP FM strategy? The Mekong Agreement § 1:To cooperate in... irrigation, hydropower, navigation, flood control, fisheries... to optimize the... mutual benefits... and to minimize the harmful effects... § 2:a BDP... to identify, categorize and prioritize the projects and programs... at the basin level 24/28

Strategy formulation A strategy must be agreed between the countries and supported by stakeholders It must provide for identification and ranking of proposed interventions It may be more or less passive or proactive 25/28

Strategy formulation Soft: 'The flood risk should be duly considered whenever relevant' Medium: 'The flood risk must not increase' Hard: 'The flood risk in area A must be less than once in 25 years' 26/28

Inter-sector relations Flood management Irrigated agriculture Watershed management Fisheries Hydropower Navigation, river works Environment Socio-economics Side effects, risks, synergies, inconsisten- cies 27/28

Good strategies... provide: Attractive & achievable development goals Added value of integrated action Balance between stakeholder interests 28/28

Thank you very much for your attention! Tue Kell Nielsen

Proactive planning action-oriented, often at sector level Describe the desired future situation Find out what is required to achieve it Find out what others are doing Find out what needs to be done Do it!

Regulatory planning less proactive, often inter-disciplinary Describe priorities and concerns Describe trends, opportunities, threats, linkages Sort out inconsistencies, develop synergies Provide regulatory framework and knowledge

FMMP BDP...regional planning process... watershed management & flood management...identification of projects The MRC FMMP Interfaces

FMMP ENV...environmental decision support... SEA framework...environmental flows...support studies & research facilitation The MRC FMMP Interfaces

FMMP WUP...data & information...modelling package...analysis of flow and waterlevels The MRC FMMP Interfaces