The need to integrate flood and drought disaster risk reduction strategies

TLDR

Most research on hydrological risks focuses either on flood risk or drought risk, while floods and droughts are two extremes of the same hydrological cycle. The study aims to improve disaster risk reduction by considering interactions between floods and droughts and identifying key challenges for a holistic risk‑management approach. We focus on dikes and levees, dams, stormwater control and upstream measures, subsurface storage, migration, agricultural practices, and vulnerability and preparedness. We show examples of how flood or drought DRR measures can have unintended positive or negative impacts on the risk of the opposite hazard, and how such measures can be negatively impacted by the opposite hazard.

Abstract

Most research on hydrological risks focuses either on flood risk or drought risk, whilst floods and droughts are two extremes of the same hydrological cycle. To better design disaster risk reduction (DRR) measures and strategies, it is important to consider interactions between these closely linked phenomena. We show examples of: (a) how flood or drought DRR measures can have (unintended) positive or negative impacts on risk of the opposite hazard; and (b) how flood or drought DRR measures can be negatively impacted by the opposite hazard. We focus on dikes and levees, dams, stormwater control and upstream measures, subsurface storage, migration, agricultural practices, and vulnerability and preparedness. We identify key challenges for moving towards a more holistic risk management approach.