The management of riverine flood risk

This paper focuses on the management of flood risk from rivers in low-lying areas and addresses both urban and rural situations. In many flood-prone urban areas, protection levels are well below an economically justifiable standard. Management issues are approached under four general headings; planning, technical, operational and institutional. In some areas, flood risk from the sea will also need to be taken into account, but this is not considered further here. Similarly, flooding that results from the inadequacy of urban drainage is also not dealt with. However, both are serious issues that require attention.