These publications on floods may be of interest to our readers. The ADPC Library can offer assistance in locating them.

Coping with Flash Floods. Eve Gruntfest and John Handmer, 2001, ISBN 0-7923-6826-6, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, US$ 49. Order online from www.wkap.nl/

This four-part volume covers the problem of flash floods, managing and mitigating them, the application of technology to set up warning systems, and other related hazards. It is a collaborative effort across different boundaries and disciplines, identifying key challenges, areas of progress and opportunities. The book emphasizes that it is the social science links that need most attention in terms of research on warnings, warning response and risk communication. Further, the work must be seen in the context of sustainable policies, so that economic growth is not compromised and a longer-term outlook is adopted.

Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth. Lester R Brown, 2001, ISBN 8-1250-2203-1, Orient Longman Pvt Ltd, India, US$ 10.

Eco-Economy discusses the need for a shift in our world-view to make the economy a part of the environment rather than the converse, which is the norm today. The book emphasizes the restructuring of the global economy to make it compatible with the earth’s eco-system. It provides a glimpse of the new economy: in the wind farms of Denmark, the solar rooftops of Japan, the bicycle network of The Netherlands, and the reforested mountains of South Korea.

Flood Issues in Contemporary Water Management. Jiri Marsalek, W Ed Watt, Evzen Zeman and Friedhelm Sieker, 2000, ISBN 0-7923-6452-X, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, US$ 69. Order online from www.wkap.nl/.

The disastrous 1997 flooding of the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany, and subsequent losses to life, property and the economy, have been documented in this volume. Both success stories and shortcomings are recorded. This experience is further extended by reports from experts drawn from 13 other countries. These develop a broad overview of flood risk management, covering the ecosystem approach to flood management, including socioeconomic issues, flood impacts on water quality, human health and natural ecosystems

Hazard and Risk Mapping. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Internal Report, 2002. Order from distri@icimod.org.np or www.icimod.org.

This study is an output of the UNDP-sponsored Participatory Disaster Management Programme implemented by ICIMOD. The study undertook hazard and risk mapping of seven village development committees and one municipality in four districts of Nepal. Primary sources of information were maps, aerial photographs and images, surveys and interviews. This nine-chapter publication is replete with hazard maps and GIS data. The study covers a thorough assessment of hazards, vulnerabilities and associated risks, and presents natural hazard and risk maps for the eight village development committee areas. 

Hydrological Dimensioning and Operation of Reservoirs: Practical Design Concepts and Principles. Imre V Nagy, Kofi Asante-Duah Anteon and Istvan Zsuffa, 2002, ISBN 1-4020-0438-9, Water Science and Technology Library Volume 39, 240 pages, US$ 78. Order online from orderdept@wkap.nl.

This book elaborates important concepts, tools and methodologies that can be used to help resolve multiple reservoir capacity allocation problems in a consistent, efficient and cost-effective way. It is a good guide for hydrological analysts or design engineers in the determination of optimal storage capacities and operational strategies of individual elements in a system of reservoirs present at potential dam sites. The book will interest practitioners and researchers in water resources planning and development.

Regional Cooperation in the Twenty-First Century on Flood Control and Management in Asia and the Pacific. 2000, ISBN 9-2111-9946-8, 230 pages, stock number N120, US$ 35. 

This publication discusses the process adopted for the formulation of a conceptual framework involving effective regional cooperation based on three main components: a review of flood control and management experiences in the region, the experience of regional cooperation and trends at regional and international levels, and current strategic planning techniques. In addition, case studies are presented on development and achievements in flood control and management in Thailand, the upper Parramatta River Catchment Trust in Australia, the Klang River Basin in Malaysia, flood control along the Mississippi River in the United States, and new developments in flood control on the Rhine River in Germany.

Risk, Reliability, Uncertainty and Robustness of Water Resources Systems. International Hydrology Series, Edited by J Bogardi and Z W Kundzewicz, 2002, ISBN 0-5218-0036-6, Cambridge University Press, 236 pages, £ 75.

This publication is based on the Third George Kovacs Colloquium organized by the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) of UNESCO and the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS). Thirty-five leading scientists provide state-of-the-art reviews of research areas on water resources systems, including aspects of extreme hydrological events: floods and droughts, water quantity and quality, dams, reservoirs and hydraulic structures, and evaluating sustainability and climate change impacts. As well as discussing essential challenges and research directions, the book will assist in applying theoretical methods to the solution of practical problems in water resources. This review volume will be valuable for graduate students, scientists, consultants, administrators, and practicing hydrologists and water managers.