3rd Asia-Pacific Water Summit Thematic Session

WATER AND DISASTERS
IN THE CONTEXT OF CLIMATE CHANGE- From the Mountains to the Islands Monday, December 11, 2017

MINDON ROOM, Sedona Hotel,Yangon, Myanmar
International Centre for
Water Hazard and Risk Management
under the auspices of UNESCO

Public Works Research Institute,
National Research and Development
Agency, Japan

[PART 1] Keynote Speeches
Moderator: Dr. David Molden, Director General, ICIMOD• Climate Change: increase in intensity & frequency of extreme water related disasters (floods &droughts)• Commitments to the SDGs
• Knowledge sharing and many examples of good cooperation• Importance of last mile connectivity from the generators to the users• H2O: Himalaya To Ocean, Regional Collaboration,
H. E. Dr. José Ramos-Horta, Senior Minister and National Security Advisor, Timor-Leste• Globalized 21st
• Enhance partnership with the private sector• Financing and investment from the private sectors as well as the public sectors.
• Education and awareness/capacity building are critically important.
• Regional commonality.
H. E. Mr. Keiichi Ishii, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan• So frequent and severe water-related disasters due to un-experienced heavy rainfall.
• Japan’s new policy: Rebuilding Flood Conscious Society- structural & non-structural.
• Exchange knowledge and adoption of a collaborative approach• International Leaders Dialogue on “Water and Disasters” during Water Decade.
H.E. Dr. Swarnim Wagle, Vice Chair, National Planning Commission, Nepal• Intensified rainfall and the glacier shrinking on people and ecosystem due to CC.
• A three pronged resilience framework: Differential impacts of disasters: women are affected by disasters• Risk communication for preparedness, early warning, rescue and recovery.
• Systematic assessment, coping mechanism, gender and insurance.
• Institutional, literacy, ancillary measures, preparedness, deep reform.
• Capacity building at various levels from the national to the local is essential for risk reduction

[PART 2] Country Presentations

Moderator: Ms. Rhonda Robinson, Pacific Community
Myanmar:Dr. Kyaw Moe Oo, Ministry of Transport and Communications
U Kyaw Myint Hlaing, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation
U Ko Ko Oo, Ministry of Transport and Communications
U Than Htut Swe, Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement

Bhutan: Ms. Tenzin Wangmo, National Environment Commission
Japan: Prof. Akiyuki Kawasaki, University of Tokyo
Korea: Dr. Hong Ilpyo, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology
Indonesia: Mr. Hary Suprayogi, Ministry of Public Works and Housing
Sri Lanka: Mr. Wasantha Bandara Palugaswewa, Irrigation Department
Tonga: Mr. Paula Ma'u, Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, DisasterManagement, Climate Change and Communications

[PART 2] Country Presentations

Key findings:• Common Asia-Pacific experience of climate change impacts from themountains to the islands, including experience of “new normal” conditionsof temperature, rainfall, extreme events and the timing of seasons.
• Flow on effect of climate change, impacting intensity and frequency ofwater-related hazards, environment and infrastructure, and in turn
livelihoods and national economies.
• Critical importance of evidence-based investment in resilient infrastructureand systems to address these impacts;• Excellent examples exist of applying evidence-based investment tosignificantly reduce disaster impacts compared to the past, even with theemerging impacts of climate change.
• The use of multi-sector, multi-hazard approaches is critical, and IWRM has
proved effective across the region in bringing together the many
stakeholders, tools and considerations needed to address impacts.
• Given the commonality of issues and the innovative approaches being
applied across the region, there is tremendous scope for collaboration andknowledge sharing between Asia-Pacific countries, from the mountains tothe islands.

Status & Issues

Direction

Actions

Myanmar cyclone , floods,
DMH
monsoon shrinking

early warning
End-to-end

flood forecast
hazard mapping

Myanmar flood andIWUMDsedimentation

improvement of dyke &drainage facilities

review safety of dam
monitoring

Myanmar river bank erosion &DWRI
sedimentation

conceptional framework
socio-economic impacts

river works, prediction

Myanmar flood, drought
RRD

NDMC: preparedness and evacuation camp
response measures

BhutanLack of investments intech, infra, manage.

mainstream, visualization, IWRM: legal & institutional
interagency coordination Water Security SystemJapan

preparedness to total
budget for DRR

keep proactive DRR, S&T,
systematic assessment

standardized damage statistics
structural + non-structural

Korea

drought, flood

drought and flood
management policy

water use efficiency
Linkage: urban to nation

Indonesia flood, drought, waterscarcity, pollution

IWRM
work in a network

water resources programs
structural + non-structural

Sri Lanka

dry-wet contrast
flood, drought

CC Secretariat National
Strategy & Policy

seasonal forecast & plan,
study, EW, increase of storageTongaslr, cyclone, tsunami,
drought, flood, disease

coordinating mechanism,
mainstream, trust funds

dainage system, community,IWRM, National Portal

[PART 3] Panel Discussion
Co-Chairs: Dr. Kyaw Moe Oo, Director General, DMH, Myanmar
Prof. Toshio Koike, Director, ICHARM
Dr. Mandira Shrestha, ICIMOD•

Commonality: intensified multi-hazards, cascading disasters, up-stream and downstream interactions,strengthening governance, standardized data collection and assessment, knowledge sharing andregional cooperation (ICIMOD: regional flood information systems, cross-boundary flood early warning)•Investment

Mr. David Hebblethwaite, SPC•

Commonality: sifting climate parameters, evidenced-based policy, people•Pacific community: fail off MDG due to population growth•

Collaboration and coordination

Dr. Hans Thulstrup, UNESCO-Jakarta•

Diversity and commonality: Geography, resources, knowledge, experiences -> solutions•

Visualization, sharing, communication and dialogue, working together.

Prof. Atsushi Sunami, Vice President, GRIPS•

UN Science & policy partnership including data integration and EW, forecast.

•SDG #14 Ocean: holistic approach•

Capacity building: S&T - policy study, economics, social science

Mr. Eugene Ban, Senior Executive and Director of Programs for the USACE POD••

Multi-stakeholder approach for flood risk reduction including zoning, insurance, building code, conflict
reduction
Collaboration: nation-wide, interdisciplinary