Flooding and flood damages in the Lower Mekong Basin remain presentday problems. It is well known that people have increased the risk of river flooding due to hydraulic interventions, intensive building activities, and the use of all flood prone areas. Improved flood management and mitigation remain indispensable and will in the future be more in demand than ever
Mekong River Commission Flood Management Program (FMP) Summary Report Draft 30 September 2002 Contents 1 INTRODUCTION * 2 JUSTIFICATION * 3 Rationale and development of the FMP * 3.1 FMP Rationale and Structure * 3.2 Principles for FMP Formulation * 3.3 Cross Cutting Issues * 3.4 The FMP Formulation Process * 4 Short description of fmp components * 4.1 Establishment of a Regional FMM Center * 4.2 Land Use Management * 4.3 Structural Measures * 4.4 Flood Proofing Measures * 4.5 Flood Risk and Flood Impact Analysis * 4.6 Flood Forecasting, Warning and Dissemination * 4.7 Transboundary Flood Management and Mediation * 4.8 Flood Emergency Management Strengthening * 4.9 Capacity Building for FMM * Appendix 1: Acronyms and Abbreviations * Appendix 2: Index of Proposed FMP Components and Outputs * Appendix 3: Budget Summary * Appendix 4: National Support * 1. INTRODUCTION Flooding and flood damages in the Lower Mekong Basin remain present- day problems. It is well known that people have increased the risk of river flooding due to hydraulic interventions, intensive building activities, and the use of all flood prone areas. Improved flood management and mitigation remain indispensable and will in the future be more in demand than ever. The complex flood problems of the Lower Mekong Basin not only require an integrated floodplain management (holistic) approach but also require a significant attention to the transboundary and regional issues. The Mekong River Commission (MRC) has since long initiated and implemented flood management and mitigation activities. It has recently been decided that FMM will become a permanent MRC program, the components of which will be revised from time to time to assist the member countries to cope with flood issues in a timely manner. The MRC FMM Strategy was passed by the MRC Council in November 2001. The overall development objective of the Strategy is stated as "people’s suffering and economic losses due to floods are prevented, minimized, or mitigated, while preserving the environmental benefits of floods." In order to implement the strategy, the Council requested MRCS to formulate a FMM Strategy Implementation Program (FMMSIP). The FMMSIP will provide a framework for the new MRC Flood Management Program (FMP) by identifying and describing components for implementation. A first outline of proposed FMP components was circulated to the NMCs and various national line agencies. It was briefly discussed at a series of initial national consultations in July and August 2002, and reviewed in more depth during national workshops held in August and September 2002. The dialogue has clearly confirmed the commitment of the member countries to the FMP, its usefulness, its compliance with national flood management requirements, and the imminent need of its outputs. The purpose of the present document is to summarize the FMP components as they appear by late September, 2002. 2. JUSTIFICATION There is a growing awareness that the magnitude of the floods is increasing; in part as a result of man-made intervention. There is also an emerging knowledge of ways and means to influence the impact of the floods and thereby to limit the related social and economic losses. At the same time, the environmental benefits of floods become continuously better understood and documented, in terms of environmental conservation, as well as in terms of fisheries and other natural resources. The value of improved flood management and mitigation is reflected by the recurrent flood damage in the Lower Mekong Basin. In 2000, more than 800 people died, and the economic damage was assessed at more than 400 million USD. In 2001, more than 300 people died, and the economic damage was assessed at more than 100 million USD. In 2002, by end of August (before the high risk period in September), the flood damage in Cambodia alone was assessed at more than 40 million USD. In each of these years, between 1 and 8 million people were affected by floods, either by a need of evacuation, or by loss of crops and livestock, or by being prevented from going to work or to school. The flood damage (for a given flood event) will increase in parallel with the ongoing economic and infrastructural development and intensified land use in the Lower Mekong Basin; and it is imperative that the physical development proceeds in a way that in itself minimizes the flood risk. At the same time, new opportunities are available for improved management and mitigation. MRC is already pursuing such opportunities, with its recently implemented real-time water level monitoring (covering both its member countries and Yunnan), and the MRC flood predictions published daily on the Internet are widely applied. Also, MRC supplies boundary data for more detailed flood predictions for sub-basins that are undertaken by national agencies. There is an attractive potential for further development. New forecasting and risk and impact assessment technologies have been implemented in other large river basins, in Southeast Asia and elsewhere, with proven advantages. The MRC member countries have accumulated a vast expertise in flood management, which can be consolidated, disseminated, and further developed by a continuous dialogue. During the recent national consultations and workshops, the MRC member countries have confirmed their commitment and interest in collaborating within flood management, on the basis of the agreed MRC FMM Strategy. The large floods on the Mekong are regional in their character, and MRC is in a unique position to contribute effectively to improved flood management at the regional level. 3. Rationale and development of the FMP 3.1. FMP Rationale and Structure The FMP is directly based on the MRC FMM Strategy (November 2001) as agreed between the member countries. During its preparation, the need and the usefulness of this strategy has been confirmed by all parties, and no changes have been made or indicated. All FMP components share the development objective of the Strategy, which is "people’s suffering and economic losses due to floods are prevented, minimized, or mitigated, while preserving the environmental benefits of floods." Each component has its own immediate objective, as described in Chapter 4. Between them, the proposed FMP components are intended to cover the key (high or medium) priorities identified in the FMM Strategy. The components have been delineated in such a way that they are self-supporting in relation to the development objective of each component. Functionally, the components do not depend on each other, but they are related (and in some cases closely related), and they will highly enhance the value and impact of each other. In the same way, most components have interfaces with several of the ongoing MRC programs, with which they will interact in a mutually beneficial way. Due to the potential for this positive nteraction, MRC is in a unique position to contribute effectively to continued improvement of flood management and mitigation in the Lower Mekong Basin. 3.2. Principles for FMP Formulation Guiding principles for the FMP formulation are: (i) Basin-wide significance: The benefits generated must relate to all member countries; (ii) involve upstream partners: Seek a continued dialogue with PRC and Myanmar where feasible; (iii) poverty alleviation and gender issues: Focus on impact on livelihood of the poor, target beneficiaries clearly and ensure mainstreaming of gender issues; (iv) sustainability: Assessment of real long term beneficiary effects; (v) participatory approach: Ensure involvement and create ownership; (vi) integrated action and avoidance of duplication: Coordination with national policies and with national and regional organizations and initiatives is crucial; (vii) ecological benefits: Take a holistic approach to ecosystems and natural resources; and, finally, (viii) feasibility: Assess viability and cost effectiveness and ensure that the activity is within the mandate and management capability of MRC. 3.3. Cross Cutting Issues This section deals with some of the most common cross-cutting issues of flood management and mitigation, which are related to one or more of the FMP Components. Table 3.1 summarises the compliance with and relevance to the four cross-cutting issues, namely: the spirit of sustainability , relevance to environmental governance , poverty alleviation, and gender issues. Table 3.1 Compliance / Relevance of the FMP Components with sustainability, environmental governance, poverty alleviation and gender issue FMP component Compliance with sustainability Relevance to environmental governance Relevance to poverty alleviation issues Relevance to gender issues #1: RFMMC M to H H L M #2: Land Use H H M M #3: Structural L to M M L to M L #4: Flood Proofing M to H M to H M to H M to H #5: Flood Analysis H M to H L L #6: Flood Forecasting H H M to H L to M #7: Transboundary M H L L #8: Emergency Management H H M L to M #9: Capacity Building H H M H Notation: H=: High; M = Medium; L= Low 3.3.1. Flood Management and Sustainable Development While carrying out an in-depth analysis of the requirements of sustainability in relation to flood management and mitigation projects, one comes across with the following questions: • Can sustainable development along with the international instruments aiming at poverty reduction and environmental protection, be successful without taking into account the risk of flood hazards and their impacts? • Can we afford the increasing costs and losses due to so- called natural disasters? In river basins, where finding a solution to the recurrent flooding problem tops the list of socio-economic development agenda, the answer to both the above questions is a firm "no". Floods are natural events and will continue to occur in the future – one can never achieve complete safety. Yet, the flood risk can be seriously restricted if an appropriate preparedness system is built. Recent literature (e.g., Kundzewicz, 2002; Takeuchi et al., 1998; UK Environment Agency, 1998; Kundzewicz, 1999) provide excellent discussions on "flood protection and sustainability". It is worthwhile to view flood management and mitigation in a broader context, as part of a sustainable development strategy in the Mekong Basin. Some large structural flood protection measures often called as "hard measures" have been criticised in the context of sustainable development for closing options for future generations and introducing disturbances in the ecosystems. All other measures proposed in the FMP which fall under the general category of "non-structural" flood mitigation measures are fully in compliance with the "spirit of sustainability". A common interpretation of sustainable development is that civilisation, wealth (human and natural capital), and environment (built and natural) should be relayed to future generations in a non-depleted condition. That is civilisation and wealth should be protected from devastating floods, which destroy cultural landscapes and undermine sustainable development by breaking continuity. Another aspect of definition of sustainable development is that, while flood protection is necessary for the present generation to attain a fair degree of freedom from disastrous events, it must be done in such a way that future generations are not adversely affected. Soft measures, as adopted in the FMP, which do not involve large structural components, can be rated as more flexible, less committing, and more sustainable than hard measures; yet the latter may be indispensable in particular circumstances. Indeed, non-structural measures alone cannot provide a satisfactory solution in some flood-vulnerable areas of the Lower Mekong Basin. Some examples are: upland settlements prone to flash floods and land slides, urban settlements close to river banks prone to erosion from rivers, rural and urban settlements in the delta and low lands. Strategies for these areas include protection by some kind of structural means like dykes, river bank protection, erosion control works, etc. Structural measures are also needed to safeguard and upgrade existing development/infrastructure, in particular in urban areas. On the other hand, small-scale structural measures, such as those covered under flood proofing, building codes, flood plain land management, watershed land use planning, ect., are regarded as sustainable. In order to assess sustainability of a flood mitigation programme, four criteria are commonly used: reversibility, fairness, risk, and consensus. One could add to these criteria a measure of efficiency and synergism. For example, a multi-purpose reservoir may also have a number of functions related to sustainability: flood peak modulation, water supply, hydro-power, navigation, etc. Examples of quality indices which could be used for comparing flood mitigation measures in the sustainability context may relate to socio-economic and financial feasibility, related investment and operational costs, degree of intervention in the natural regime, stress to ecosystem and humans, use of energy and raw materials, safety, risk and reliability issues, and opportunities for reversibility (flexibility) and rehabilitation. Provision of adequate and reliable information related to all aspects of floods and flood management is a fundamental requirement leading to compliance with sustainability while designing and implementing a flood management and mitigation programme. This has been adequately addressed in the formulation of the FMP. 3.3.2. Flood Management and Environmental Governance The issues and importance of environmental governance in the Mekong Region have recently been explained by Nathan Badenoch , World Research Institute (2001, 2002) in the two publications – Transboundary Environmental Governance: principles and practices in mainland and south east Asia", and "Mekong Regional Environmental Governance: perspectives on Opportunities and challenges". "Environmental governance has been defined as the manner in which people exercise authority over nature. It concerns the actors – within each level of government, between elected and appointed officals, and among public, private, and non-governmental bodies – and the powers that they exercise to make decisions about the disposition of natural resources and the benefits that flow from the environment. " In the context of the Lower Mekong Basin, flow of information and data, institutional capacity and transparent decision making involving all stakeholders and cooperators have been identified as among the key indicators of enhanced transboundary environmental governance. The present FMP addresses these key issues adequately. The most common issues of environmental governance that need to be addressed while implementing a flood management and mitigation programme are: • Global environment (resilience to climate change, energy efficiency, biodiversity) • Natural resources (quantity and quality of surface water and ground water, wetland ecosystem, wild life habitat, etc.) • Local environment quality (morphological stability, landscape and open land, recreation, amenity and enhancement of river environment • Local competence (formulation of policy/guidelines and implementation of environmental governance), in human resource and institutional capabilities • Local awareness (information about floods and flood mitigation, informed stakeholders’ involvement, removal of myths and mis-conceptions) • Living with floods (building a flood risk-conscious society, public health, safety and well being) • Recognising the benefits of floods (soil fertility, fisheries, irrigation, etc.) • Zoning and relocation ( striking a balance between risk of living in endangered flood plains and socio-cultural stress management) 3.3.3. Flood Management and Poverty Alleviation It is a painful fact that poor people are the most adversely affected by floods. Even in economically advanced societies with appropriate schemes of insurance, the lower strata of society does not get compensated for the flood losses. It is therefore, necessary, to build a mechanism to help poor flood victims recover from losses as quickly as possible. Post-flood recovery is often less spectacular than actions during floods, as national leaders and the media who have left the flood catastrophe area become disinterested. Disaster aid, based on contributions, national assistance, and international help is essential to restore livelihood and employment of flood victims. Some of the proposed FMP components, notably, the flood proofing measures, and the emergency flood management strengthening, address the poverty alleviation issues as their activities are directly [...]... Classification of target users and areas 2.3 Development of guidelines for flood proofing in buildings 2.4 Preparation of design manuals for flood proofing elements 2.5 Identification and promotion of indigenous techniques 2.6 Development of guidelines for flood proofing of infrastructure 3 Public participation programs 3.1 Development of public participation programs 3.2 Dissemination of the flood proofing techniques... 4 Financing mechanisms 4.1 Financing of flood proofing at household level 4.2 Financing of flood proofing at community level 4.3 Financing of nation-wide flood proofing 5.1 Design of pilot projects 5 Pilot projects 5.2 Implementation of pilot projects 5.3 Evaluation 6.1 Educational programs 6 Capacity building 6.2 Training 6.3 Awareness creation Time frame 3 years (2004-2006) Budget and cost sharing... Improvement of base information 3 Improved flood information 3.2 Improvement of monitoring 3.3 Improvement of forecasting, warning & dissemination: Reducing uncertainties; increasing the lead time; investigate medium and long-term forecasting techniques; increasing the accuracy of forecasts; improving the usefulness of forecasts; and improving dissemination 4 Strengthened co-operation and information sharing... weather information 2 Improved operational forecasting, with reduced uncertainties, Increased lead time, increased forecast accuracy, and streamlined links to national flood forecasting 2.1 Review of existing flood forecasting systems 2.2 Reducing uncertainties by incorporating meteorological forecast 2.3 Increasing the lead time 2.4 Increasing accuracy of forecast 2.5 Improvement in the modeling system... o o o o o Flood forecasting services Center of flood data and information Flood analytical services and setting of standards Neutral mediator, assessor and arbiter of transboundary issues Capacity building and technology transfer Coordination of floodplain management of national and MRC programs Forum on floodplain management and flood preparedness The Strategy identifies 'Fields of MRC Intervention'... structures A sustainable competence within MRCS and in the member countries with adequate local capability in flood disaster preparedness Justification An extremely important task of integrated flood management is the generation and dissemination of information, in particular in relation to flood forecast and warning While the present flood forecasting and warning efforts of MRC are producing useful information,... Land use planning tools and land management case studies 3.1 Case studies of successful land management systems in FMM 3.2 GIS software for regional and national land use planning and risk assessment 4 Land use and land management institutional capacity 4.1 Training in GIS-based land use planning and risk assessment in FMM 4.2 Training in urban planning and flood mitigation 4.3 Guidelines in national... rainfall forecasting, rainfall-runoff process in the catchments, and hydrodynamics in the rivers and floodplains An effective flood warning system disseminated to disaster management agencies and the affected communities, especially poor people living in flood prone areas An advanced flood warning system provided to the flood managers to enable them take preventive actions including the operation of storage... consulted: CNMC; Ministry of Planning; Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; Ministry of Environment; Ministry of Public Works and Transport; Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology; Ministry of Rural Development; Kampong Speu Province; Kampong Cham Province; Stung Treng Province; Kratie Province; Kampong Thom province; Svey Rieng Province; Prey Vieng Province; Kom Pot Province; National Committee... decisions in Thai societies Gender issues are highly relevant and are considered directly in at least four components: Land use management, flood proofing, flood emergency management, and capacity building It is a widely recognised fact that women can play very effective roles in disseminating flood warning information and motivating communities in taking preventive actions before and during floods However, . areas of the Lower Mekong Basin. Some examples are: upland settlements prone to flash floods and land slides, urban settlements close to river banks prone to erosion from rivers, rural and urban. Department of Dyke Management and Flood Control; Sub Forest Institute for Planning and Investigation; Sub-Institute of Water Resources Planning; and Sub National Institute for Agricultural Planning. data & information related to integrated flood management and river monitoring in the Lower Mekong Basin' Justification The MRC Flood Management and Mitigation (FMM) Strategy provides