5th International Disaster and Risk Conference IDRC 2014 Integrative Risk Management - The role of science, technology & practice 24-28 August 2014 in Davos, Switzerland

1. NOVEL APPROACH TO MANAGING
FLOODS AND DROUGHTS AT THE
RIVER BASIN SCALE IN THE
DEVELOPING WORLD
Pavelic P.*, Amarnath G., Brindha K.,
Hanjra M., Malik R.S., Reddy V.R.,
Sharma B.R., Smakhtin V. and L.
Surinaidu
* International Water Management Institute
Vientiane, Lao PDR
Water for a food-secure world
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2. Water for a food-secure world
www.iwmi.org

3. Water for a food-secure world
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4. Water for a food-secure world
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5. Water for a food-secure world
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6. Distributed
upstream recharge
of excess floodwater
to groundwater
Urban: protection of infrastructure / assets / lives / livelihoods
Rural: better access to groundwater & increased agricultural production
and livelihood improvement
Water for a food-secure world
www.iwmi.org
Regular
harmful floods
Groundwater
withdrawal to
boost irrigation
BENEFITS:

7. SOLVING MULTIPLE PROBLEMS WITH ONE SOLUTION…
Upstream Downstream
Water for a food-secure world
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Rural
Farmers
Surface Water
Urban Flood
Managers
Opportunities
Impacts
Groundwater

8. GENERAL TYPES OF FLOODING
1. Monsoonal floods
2. Flash floods
3. Coastal / estuarine –
storm surges + tides
Source: GoWvat toefr B faonr gala fdoeosdh-,s ecure world
Dept of Disaster Management
www.iwmi.org

9. PORTFOLIO OF FLOOD MANAGEMENT OPTIONS
Water for a food-secure world
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Cost-Benefit-Ratio
Robustness to Uncertainties
Structural
Non-Structural
Source: Jha et al, (2011)
adapted
from Ranger and
Garbett-Shiels (2011)

10. ISSUES WITH EXISTING APROACHES
• Expensive if large surface storages are proposed
• Can result in lost opportunities through inefficient
use of water
• Largely neglects a ubiquitous and vast storage
below ground
• Interventions may not target the poorest members
of the community
Water for a food-secure world
www.iwmi.org

11. REDUCING THE FLOOD RISK
Water for a food-secure world
www.iwmi.org
Investment
Effectiveness
Acceptable risk level
UTFI
Levee
Storages
Diversions
Early warning
Reseroir
Opn.

12. RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGE
“ How to simultaneously reduce or
solve the flooding problems of low-lying
cities and towns and overcome
water scarcity in the dry season? ”
Water for a food-secure world
www.iwmi.org

13. FROM IDEA TO MAINSTREAM PRACTICE
Prefeasibility analyses
Identification of concept (UTFI)
Desk
-top
Water for a food-secure world
www.iwmi.org
New
Idea
Promoting &
Upscaling
Testing &
learning
Concept-ualization
Understanding of tradeoffs,
opportunities and constraints
Technical & non-technical proof of
concept
Piloting
Investments from governments,
donors and other investors
Strategy development & knowledge
dissemination to next-users
Scaling Up
SCALE STAGE ACTIVITY

14. TYPES OF RISKS & ISSUES
TECHNICAL RISKS SOCIAL/INSTITUTIONAL RISKS
Water for a food-secure world
www.iwmi.org
- poor system
design/construction
and/or site selection
- low recharge
performance
- new upstream
developments
- insufficient incentive for land conversion
- cumbersome or overly-complex
governance models
- poor or inadequate participation of
farmers/famers organizations
- unclear operational rules
ECONOMIC RISKS ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS
- high investments or
opportunity costs
- high maintenance/
operational costs
- polluted floodwater enters aquifers
- waterlogging due to aquifer over-filling
- negative impacts downstream due to
interventions

15. WHERE ARE WE WORKING?
Water for a food-secure world
www.iwmi.org
Catastrophic
Floods in Asia:
1900 – 2011
Focal areas

16. IDENTIFYING UTFI HOTSPOTS
• >60% of inner GB potentially suitable
• Prospects in others basins being explored
Water for a food-secure world
www.iwmi.org

17. SYSTEM DESIGN
+ + +
+ +
Water for a food-secure world
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Data unavailable
rice paddies
sand mines
canals
recharge
structure
well
irrigation
city
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
flood
prone
sea
+
dam
diversion

18. IMPROVING IRRIGATION COMMAND AREAS
PERFORMANCE VIA REOPERATIONALIZATION
Water for a food-secure world
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Source: IWMI Water Policy Briefing No.1

19. HYDROLOGICAL MODELLING
Water for a food-secure world
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Data unavailable

20. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS AND COST-BENEFIT
SHARING
What are the governance arrangements and incentives
needed for farmers and flood managers to work
Water for a food-secure world
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Implementation
Approaches
MARKET
BASED
NON-MARKET
BASED
towards common goals ?
• How will upstream be co-opted
to partake for benefit
of the downstream ?
• How will the downstream
mobilize resources to support
upstream engagement?

21. CONCLUSIONS
• Efforts are underway to establish the first-ever
demonstration of the technical and non-technical
performance of UTFI
• Knowledge on the technical performance, and the social
and institutional arrangements needed to make UTFI
work over the long term and benefits that arise from
investments
• Credible evidence translated into business models,
guidelines and investment strategies that will be
communicated to next-users including responsible
governments agencies, international organizations,
private industry and donors leading to implementation
and upscale the Water technology
for a food-secure world
www.iwmi.org

22. THANKYOU
and now….
Water for a food-secure world
www.iwmi.org