This book represents a landmark effort to probe and analyze the theory and empirics of designing water disaster management policies. It consists of seven chapters that examine, in-depth and comprehensively, issues that are central to crafting effective policies for water disaster management. The author uses historical surveys, institutional analysis, econometric investigations, empirical case studies, and conceptual-theoretical discussions to clarify and illuminate the complex policy process. The specific topics studied in this book include a review and analysis of key policy areas and research priority areas associated with water disaster management, community participation in disaster risk reduction, the economics and politics of ‘Green’ flood control, probabilistic flood forecasting for flood risk management, polycentric governance and flood risk management, drought management with the aid of dynamic inter-generational preferences, and how social resilience can inform SA/SIA for adaptive planning for climate change in vulnerable areas. A unique feature of this book is its analysis of the causes and consequences of water disasters and efforts to address them successfully through policy-rich, cross-disciplinary and transnational papers. This book is designed to help enrich the sparse discourse on water disaster management policies and galvanize water professionals to craft creative solutions to tackle water disasters efficiently, equitably, and sustainably. This book should also be of considerable use to disaster management professionals, in general, and natural resource policy analysts. This book was published as a special issue of the Journal of Natural Resource Policy Research.

Urban areas face daunting environmental, economic and social challenges that have increased in scope in recent years, especially given climate change and globalization. At the same time, cities provide exciting opportunities for growth and revitalization of local and national economies. The interplay of these challenges and opportunities create important tasks for policymakers and researchers. This book provides a new horizon for exploring solutions to urban problems, especially water-related disasters in urban areas. It is of a cross-disciplinary nature offering both new concepts and practices that will help to promote communication between urban planning communities and water management professionals in order to integrate water-related disaster management into spatial planning.

Disasters by Design provides an alternative and sustainable way to view, study, and manage hazards in the United States that would result in disaster-resilient communities, higher environmental quality, inter- and intragenerational equity, economic sustainability, and improved quality of life. This volume provides an overview of what is known about natural hazards, disasters, recovery, and mitigation, how research findings have been translated into policies and programs; and a sustainable hazard mitigation research agenda. Also provided is an examination of past disaster losses and hazards management over the past 20 years, including factorsâ€"demographic, climate, socialâ€"that influence loss. This volume summarizes and sets the stage for the more detailed books in the series.

This book presents three distinct pillars for analysis, design, and planning: urban water cycle and variability as the state of water being; landscape architecture as the medium for built-by-design; and total systems as the planning approach. The increasing demand for water and urban and industrial expansions have caused myriad environmental, social, economic, and political predicaments. More frequent and severe floods and droughts have changed the resiliency and ability of water infrastructure systems to operate and provide services to the public. These concerns and issues have also changed the way we plan and manage our water resources. Focusing on urban challenges and contexts, the book provides foundational information regarding water science and engineering while also examining topics relating to urban stormwater, water supply, and wastewater infrastructures. It also addresses critical emerging issues such as simulation and economic modeling, flood resiliency, environmental visualization, satellite data applications, and digital data model (DEM) advancements. Features: Explores various theoretical, practical, and real-world applications of system analysis, design, and planning of urban water infrastructures Discusses hydrology, hydraulics, and basic laws of water flow movement through natural and constructed environments Describes a wide range of novel topics ranging from water assets, water economics, systems analysis, risk, reliability, and disaster management Examines the details of hydrologic and hydrodynamic modeling and simulation of conceptual and data-driven models Delineates flood resiliency, environmental visualization, pattern recognition, and machine learning attributes Explores a compilation of tools and emerging techniques that elevate the reader to a higher plateau in water and environmental systems management Water Systems Analysis, Design, and Planning: Urban Infrastructure serves as a useful resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in the areas of water resources and systems analysis, as well as practicing engineers and landscape professionals.

Disaster risk now presents one of the most serious threats to inclusive and sustainable socioeconomic development. In the People's Republic of China (PRC), the incidence of natural disasters---particularly water-related disasters---are on the rise, resulting in an increased exposure to and vulnerability of the population to disasters. Coupled with anticipated increases in the frequency and intensity of weather-related events due to climate change, the PRC's population is at heightened risk. This review focuses on water-related disasters, including identification of underlying causes, current management and policies to reduce risk, and opportunities for strengthening integrated disaster risk management in the PRC.

This report presents the governance framework in Kazakhstan for managing disaster risks. A wide range of disaster risks are present throughout the national territory, primarily floods, landslides, avalanches, but also extreme cold and heatwaves. The report reviews how the central government sets up a national strategy to manage these disaster risks, and how a national risk governance framework is formulated and executed.

Approaches to Water Sensitive Urban Design: Potential, Design, Ecological Health, Economics, Policies and Community Perceptions covers all aspects on the implementation of sustainable storm water systems for urban and suburban areas whether they are labeled as WSUD, Low Impact Development (LID), Green Infrastructure (GI), Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) or the Sponge City Concept. These systems and approaches are becoming an integral part of developing water sensitive cities as they are considered very capable solutions in addressing issues relating to urbanization, climate change and heat island impacts in dealing with storm water issues. The book is based on research conducted in Australia and around the world, bringing in perspectives in an ecosystems approach, a water quality approach, and a sewer based approach to stormwater, all of which are uniquely covered in this single resource. - Presents a holistic examination of the current knowledge on WSUD and storm water, including water quality, hydrology, social impacts, economic impacts, ecosystem health, and implementation guidelines - Includes additional global approaches to WSUD, including SUDS, LID, GI and the Sponge City Concept - Covers the different perspectives from Australia (ecosystem based), the USA (water quality based) and Europe (sewer based) - Addresses storm water management during the civil construction stage when much of the ecological damage can be done

This book contributes to our understanding of linkages between carbon management and local livelihoods by taking stock of the existing evidence and drawing on field experiences in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region, an area that provides fresh water to more than 2 billion people and supports the world’s largest population of pastoralists and millions of livestock. This edited volume addresses two main questions: 1. Does carbon management offer livelihood opportunities or present risks, and what are they? 2. Do the attributes of carbon financing alter the nature of livelihood opportunities and risks? Chapters analyze the most pressing deficiencies in understanding carbon storage in both soils and in above ground biomass, and the related social and economic challenges associated with carbon sequestration projects. Chapters deliver insights to both academics from diverse disciplines (natural sciences, social sciences and engineering) and to policy makers.

To plan successfully and manage the increased uncertainties posed by likely future climate change, knowledge needs to advance much more for the water profession beyond what it is now available. Meeting these challenges does not depend exclusively on advances in climatological-hydrologic models. Policies for adaptation and strategies for mitigation measures have to be formulated on the basis of what are likely to be the potential impacts. These will have to be regularly fine-tuned and implemented according to changing needs and as more reliable knowledge and data become available. Even more challenging will be the politics of policy making and implementation, which will require a quantum leap from current policy-making and implementation processes. One can even say that, in addition to the development of more reliable models, the politics of climate change and water management remains one of the greatest uncertainties for the water profession. This book addresses water management practices and how these should and could be modified to cope with climatic and other related uncertainties over the next two to three decades; the types of strategies and good practices that may be available or have to be developed to cope with the current and expected uncertainties in relation to climate change; and the types of knowledge, information and technological developments needed to incorporate possible future climate change impacts within the framework of water resources management. Decision making in the water sector under changing climate and related uncertainties, and societal water security under altering and fluctuating climate are also discussed. Several case studies are included from several basins, cities, regions and countries in both developed and non-developing countries. This book was published as a special issue of the International Journal of Water Resources Development.

This book explores the conceptual and theoretical frameworks of Right to Water and analyzes its values in the context of water policy frameworks of the union governments in India. It uses a qualitative approach and combines critical hermeneutics with critical content analysis to introduce a new water policy framework. The volume maps the complex argumentative narrations which have emerged and evolved in the idea of Right to Water and traces the various contours and the nature of water policy texts in independent India. The book argues that the idea of Right to Water has emerged, evolved and is being argued through theoretical arguments and is shaped with the help of institutional arrangements developed at the international, regional, and national levels. Finally, the book underlines that India’s national water policies drafted respectively in 1987, 2002 and 2012, are ideal but are not embracing the values and elements of Right to Water. The volume will be of critical importance to scholars and researchers of public policy, environment, especially water policy, law, and South Asian studies.