Are We Ever Going to Win: ’98 Floods in China? G. H. Han, Graduate School of Geography, Clark University, Worcester, MA
As in many parts of the world, floods are the number one natural hazard in China. For the past half century, flood prevention has been a priority on the national agenda. Despite tremendous effort, however, floods in China affected 240 million people in 1998, leaving 14 million homeless and killing 3635. Estimated direct economic losses are at least $24 billion (US). Examining the problems revealed by and the lessons learned from the floods of 1998 is crucial for designing a better flood management regime in China. This paper examines the causes of increasing vulnerability to flood hazard in China by comparing the two most severely flooded areas in 1998, the Nenjiang area in Northeast and the Dongting Lake region on the middle reach of Yangtze River. Particular attention is given to the relationship between vulnerability and rapid urbanization and industrialization since the economic reforms of the late 1970s. The paper argues that an expanded range of flood adjustment mechanisms should be implemented. It suggests that the notion of "living with floods" and incorporating flood management strategies into development planning are of fundamental importance for flood risk reduction in 21st century China and worldwide.
Thanks to The Open Lab of Environment Change and Natural Disaster of Ministry of Education, China.
Go to . . .
1999 SRA Table of Contents
1999 SRA Author Index
Main Abstracts Menu Page
RiskWorld Home Page