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FACTS AND FIGURES ABOUT FLOODS Flooding, including flash and riverine floods, coastal floods, snowmelt floods, and floods related to ice jams and mud flows, is the most taxing water-related natural hazard to humans, material assets, as well as to cultural and ecological resources. Annually, flooding affects about 520 million people and their livelihoods, claiming about 25,000 lives worldwide. The annual cost to the world economy, of flooding and other water-related disasters, is between US$ 50 and US$ 60 billion. When flooding occurs in less developed countries, it can result in thousands of deaths and lead to epidemics, as well as effectively wipe out decades of investment in infrastructure and seriously cripple economic prosperity. Agriculture-centered developing economies largely depend on fertile flood plains for food security and poverty alleviation efforts. The wetlands in floodplains contribute to bio-diversity as well as provide employment opportunities. It is estimated that one billion people, one sixth of the global population -the majority of them among the world's poorest inhabitants -live on flood plains today. In Asia, the continent with the greatest potential flood hazard, between 1987 and 1997, floods claimed an average of 22,800 lives per annum and caused an estimated US$ 136 billion in economic damage. The 2002 floods in Europe claimed 100 lives and caused US$ 20 billion in damage. With the frequency and variability of extreme floods events changing because of urbanization, coupled with the population growth in flood-prone areas, deforestation, potential climate change and rise in sea levels, the number of people vulnerable to devastating floods worldwide is expected to rise.
Information from: Source: UNESCO Water Portal, November 2005
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