Dams, Flood Protection, and Risk

The vital role of water

Our Earth has an abundance of water resources which is a fundamental factor in creating biological life and hence also human societies on this planet. On the other hand extreme hydrological events have always been a significant threat to human lives. Even the Bible tells us about the horror brought upon the ancient societies by the uncertainties of hydrology. We have always known that floods and droughts demanded some level of preparedness and coping strategies from society. Protection using levees, different land use depending on the season, and for instance floating houses all represent forms of coping with climatic variability related to flood events. Droughts were usually more problematic often leading to large-scale migration in order to cope with its harsh consequences. But water is more fundamental in our life than this. Ending poverty is often said to begin with water, clean water. Poor health, hunger, and lack of education are symptoms of the full scale...