Historical assessment of Chinese and Japanese flood management policies and implications for managing future floods. Issue 48 (April 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Luo, Pingping; He, Bin; Takara, Kaoru; Xiong, Yin E.; Nover, Daniel; Duan, Weili; Fukushi, Kensuke
• Is Part Of: Environmental science & policy. Issue 48(2015:Apr.)
• Page Start: 265
• Page End: 277
• Publication Date: 2015-04
• Subjects: Flood management policy -- History -- Irrigation -- Structure measures -- No-structure measures -- Extreme events; Environmental policy -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences -- Periodicals; Environnement -- Politique gouvernementale -- Périodiques; Sciences de l'environnement -- Périodiques; Environmental policy; Environmental sciences; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 363.70561
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2014.12.015
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1462-9011

Abstract

Highlights: A historical overview of Chinese and Japanese flood control policies is presented. Successes in flood control policy in the two very different countries are explored. Insights are identified in order to inform flood control policy under climate change. Abstract: Floods are among the world's most devastating natural disasters, causing immense damage and accounting for a large number of deaths world-wide. Good flood management policies play an extremely important role in preventing floods. It is well known that China has more than 5000 years of experience in flood management policy beginning with the reign of DaYu and Gun. Although culturally related, Japanese flood management developed differently from that of China. Under rapid development of civil engineering technology, flood management was achieved primarily through the construction of dams, levees and other structures. These structures were never adequate to stop all floods, and recent climate change driven extreme events are ever more frequently overwhelming such infrastructure. It is important to take a historical perspective of Japanese and Chinese flood management in order to better manage increasingly frequent extreme events and climate change. We present insights taken from an historical overview of Japanese and Chinese flood management policies in order to guide future flood risk management policy.