Keynote lecture:
Formulating
Integrated Flood Management Policy within
Context of Gender Equality
Tan Kok Weng (PhD)
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman
Malaysia

Kobe University Summer Programme
10-18 Sept 2018 Gadjah Mada University, Jogjakarta, Indonesia

Learning Outcomes• To explain the Integrated Flood Management(IFM) concept• To outline the challenges and opportunity ofwomen participation in IFM policy making
process

What flood means?
What is a flood disaster ?

Introduction• Floods are natural disaster occurred frequently overworldwide including Malaysia.
• Settling on flood plains has enormous advantages, asis evident from the very high densities of humansettlement in, for example, the Netherlands,
Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia.

Kuala Lumpur hits by flood, 1971

Shortcomings of past Flood Management
Practices–Ad-hoc and sectoral–Lack of proactive action–Inappropriate defined objective–Emphasis on structural measures

Land-use policy is a neglected in flood management planwater policy issue

Challenges of Flood Management
Population growth

Securing livelihoods – food security

Ecosystem Conservation

Avinash Tyagi 2009

Challenges of Flood Management
Climate Variability and Change
www.awitness.org

Absolute safety from flooding is a myth

cumulus.geol.iastate.edu/

Changes in the decision
making processes(Community Participation)

Avinash Tyagi 2009• Flood disasters are the results of interaction
between this natural phenomenon with theenvironmental,socialandeconomicprocesses.
• Flood management must be carried out within
the context of integrated approacheconomic, legal, social and environment.

Development Stages in Flood Management
Non-structural
IWRM

Structural
Community Participation
Legal Aspects

1000

100 70 50

10Year
Avinash Tyagi 2009

Integrated Flood Management (IFM)

www.floodmanagement.info

Water resources management• Integrated Water Resources Management(IWRM) is considered as one of the main
policy paradigms in water resourcesmanagement.
• Water allocation for domestic and agricultural
uses• Wise use the stormwater – rainwater
harvestingHong Kong flood Mitigation conceptual modelSeaholm Power Plant Re-Development plan in Austin, Texas, UnitedStates

Land use Management
Rainwater infiltrates
into the ground

Runoff increases

Avinash C Tyagi 2005

MANAGING FLOOD DISASTER RISK

Flood magnitude

ExposureRISKVulnerability
Avinash C Tyagi 2005

Ensure a Participatory Approach The definition of sustainable development adopted
at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit- the involvement of
the public at all levels of decision-making andrecognizes the role of women.
 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Goal 5:
Achieve gender equality and empower all womenand girls

Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal
opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision
making in political, economic and public life

Importance of women role in IFM• In early century, decision‐making related toflood risk reduction was predominantly doneby men• However, women are always affected during
and after a flood disaster – vulnerable• Women have to still carry out their habitualresponsibilities similar to preparation of food,collection of fuel and water, often under
unfeasible situation• According to the United Nations (2009), malesurvivors from the Indian Ocean tsunami in2004 outnumbered the female survivors by
three or four to one in Sri Lanka.
• It is stated that the women’s death toll was
equivalent to as much as 80 per cent in somepartsofthecountry(Ariyabandu,2009; APWLD, 2005).

• The significance to resognise the different
roles, capacities, vulnerabilities and needs ofwomen in disaster risk reduction (DRR).
• It should always be emphasised by policy
makers and Government due to the higher
disaster vulnerability of women.

• For emergency preparedness, it is essentialthat the community is made aware of theflood risks and the factors that determinethem.
• Special requirements and capabilities ofwomen during emergency situations should
be incorporated into flood preparedness andmanagement strategies• It has not been adequately recognized that thecontinuous stay of women at home gives them a
special stake in protecting the house and thefamily properties.
• Together with the intimate knowledge of thesurroundings and ability to monitor the flood
situation, it can be put to beneficial use indeveloping preparedness strategies at thehousehold level.

• Women are more likely to share information,ideas and resources as they build networks offamilies and friends at work, in schools and intheir neighborhoods.
• Often women groups take the lead in helping
rebuild community solidarity after a disaster.
• A participatory and transparent approach
which includes a representative range ofstakeholders in the decision making process isanother key component of IFM.

Levels of Participation• The objectives of women participation in IFM
are as follows:– Provide them an opportunities to share theirviews and influence the outcome;– Build consensus and public support for theoutcomes;– Ensure sustainability of IFM plans and associateddecisions;– Build resilience of flood-prone communities

Improving women participation in
IFM policy making process
Opportunities• Provide training and education – build up womencapacity in flood management• Enhance information sharing technique – womenmagazine, social media and etc• Partnership with Local NGOs to promote womenparticipation on IFM policy making processChallenges• Lack of political will and commitment• Lack of resources• Attitude towards flood management• Risk perceptionReferences
Avinash C Tyagi. 2005. Integrated Flood Management : the way to Harmonious coexistence with floods.
International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage
AVINASH TYAGI. 2009.Floods and the Development: Towards Integrated Flood Management. Training
Workshop on Integrated Flood Management for countries in Western Asia and the Arab region.
Ariyabandu, M.M. (2009), “Sex, gender and gender relations in disasters”, in Enarson, E. andChakrabarti, P.G.D. (Eds), Women, Gender and Disaster – Global Issues and Initiatives, SagePublications India Pvt Ltd, New Delhi, pp. 5-17
APWLD (2005), “Why are women more vulnerable during disasters? Violations of women’s human rights
in the tsunami aftermath”, Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development, Chiangmai.
Kanchana Ginige. 2016. Mainstreaming women into disaster reduction in the built environment: Aguideline for Sri Lanka. DISASTER PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL(25)5United Nations (2009), Making Disaster Risk Reduction Gender Sensitive, UN/ISDR, UNDP and IUCN,Geneva.
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)