Irene Immink, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
Towards an integrative appoach for river and flood risk management in the Netherlands? (assigned to theme
Integrated and sustainable river and flood risk management depends on collaboration between water managers and spatial planners. This paper will focus on aspects which play an important role in the development and establishment of such integrative policy practice. Results of an analysis of international literature on hazard analysis, risk and vulnerability assessment and an analysis of the Dutch debate on river and flood risk management are used to pose three key issues which will be further discussed: •The shift from a reactive towards an anticipative strategy and preventive strategy; •A shift from a sectoral orientation (i.e. institutions) towards a transboundary, integrative orientation of policy arrangements; •A shift in the conceptualization of hazard: from a ‘purely’ physical and isolated event towards a broader process that is affected by both physical and social processes and events. The insights into these three key issues are used to address aspects for the development of integrated and sustainable river and flood risk management in the Netherlands. Therefore, it is important not only to focus on the prediction of river peak discharges as a base for planning and designing of measures, but also to focus on the consequences of potential flooding (i.e. damage to land use due flooding).
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(copyright Gunther Maier) |