1

International Centre for
Water Hazard and Risk Management
under the auspices of UNESCO

2ICHARM34

5

Photos:
1. ICHARM Open Day 2019 (June 14, 2019)
2. Master’s program students at the Metropolitan Outer Area Underground Discharge Channel in a study trip (December 20, 2019)
3. Lecture by Executive Director KOIKE Toshio (far right) at ICHARM
4. Cherry blossom appreciation at PWRI (March 2019)
5. Asia-Pacific Symposium of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (Kyoto, October 24, 2018)

Background
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) has been promoting water sciences and technologies and, as partof its effort, encouraging the activities of the International Hydrological
Programme (IHP) and the establishment of UNESCO water centers.
In fact, the world has been struggling with water-related disasters, such as
floods, droughts and windstorms. They have been a primary source ofdisaster damage worldwide in recent decades and have been reported to
become increasingly frequent and intense in recent years. Today, waterrelated disasters account for about 80% of all natural disasters in the world,
and about 40% of all water-related disasters occur in Asia alone.
In the meantime, Japan has a long history of fighting and overcomingwater-related disasters and consequently has a wealth of knowledge andexperience, as well as sophisticated technology, in the field. Leveraging thisexpertise, Japan has been taking the initiative in addressing water-related
disasters by participating in the activities of IHP and the World Water
Assessment Programme (WWAP) and demonstrating global leadership byhosting the 3rd World Water Forum in 2003 in Kyoto, Japan.
With its growing presence in the water arena, Japan has further realizedinternational expectations that it should share its long-accumulated expertisewith other countries in consideration of their needs and conditions in orderto help reduce disaster damage.

storm
13.9%

produced by ICHARM based on the EM-DAT database

Launch of ICHARM under the auspices of UNESCO
To respond to global expectations to fight against water-related disasters, a proposal was madeto establish a UNESCO water center in Japan. The proposal received widespread support frommember countries and UN organizations at the IHP intergovernmental board meeting in
September 2004 and was adopted at the UNESCO general meeting in October 2005. Finally, on
March 6, 2006, the International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM) was
officially established as a UNESCO category II center and part of the Public Works ResearchInstitute of Japan.

Signing ceremony for the official launch of ICHARM:
the representative of the Japanese government (left),
UNESCO Secretary-General (center) and PWRI Chief Executive.
(March 3, 2006)
ICHARM’s institute sign
written by the then MLIT Minister

Executive Directors
March 2006-September 2014: TAKEUCHI kuniyoshi ,emeritus professor, Yamanashi University
October 2014-present:
KOIKE Toshio, emeritus
professor, Tokyo University

ICHARM opening ceremony (March 6, 2006)

Revision of the agreement and ICHARM Governing Board
Based on the agreement between UNESCO and the Government of Japan, the ICHARM Governing Board hadbiennial meetings three times until 2018, chaired by the President of PWRI. The governing board reviews the
ICHARM Activity Report and reviews and adopts the ICHARM Work Plan. The agreement was revised andrenewed on February 13, 2020. On June 2, 2020, the 4th ICHARM Governing Board meeting was held for the
first time after the renewal.

The fourth ICHARM Governing Board meeting (February 14, 2018)

ICHARM Special Lecture by Mr.
MATSUURA Koichiro, the 8th DirectorGeneral of UNESCO (January 16, 2019)

The Government of Japan and UNESCO
signed the revised agreement regarding
ICHARM (February 13, 2020).

Mission(Adopted on March 3, 2016)

The mission of ICHARM is to serve as the Global Centre of
Excellence for Water Hazard and Risk Management by, interalia, observing and analyzing natural and social phenomena,developing methodologies and tools, building capacities,
creating knowledge networks, and disseminating lessons andinformation in order to help governments and all
stakeholders manage risks of water-related hazards at global,
national, and community levels. The hazards to be addressed
include floods, droughts, landslides, debris flows, tsunamis,
storm surges, water contamination, and snow and ice
disasters.
We envision a Center of Excellence housing a group ofleading people, superior facilities, and a knowledge base,which enables conducting: i) innovative research, ii) effective
capacity building, and iii) efficient information networking.
Based on these three pillars, ICHARM will globally serve as aknowledge hub for best national/local practice and anadvisor in policymaking.

ICHARM Long-Term ProgrammeMissionLong-Term Programme（Goals for the next 10 years）

Mid-Term Programme（Goals for the next 5 years）

Work Plan（Action plan for the next 2 years）
Scheme of ICHARM Programme(Adopted on March 3, 2016)

In order to fulfill the Mission, ICHARM will engage in the following activities by effectively arranging its threepillars of research, capacity building and information networking, while keeping in mind “localism,” a principlethat requires us to accommodate local diversity of natural, social and cultural conditions by paying close
attention to local needs, priorities, and development stages in disaster management, as well as global and local
disaster-related experiences and trends:( i ) Innovative research
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Promote data collection, storage, sharing, and statistics on water-related disasters
Conduct risk assessment of water-related disasters
Monitor and predict changes in water-related disaster risks
Propose, evaluate, and support the implementation of policies for water-related disaster risk reduction
Provide support in improving the capability of water-related disaster management( ii ) Effective capacity building
1.

2.

Provide training programs to produce solution-oriented practitioners and Training-of-Trainers (TOT) instructors
with a good understanding of both theoretical and engineering aspects of disaster management, who cancontribute effectively to planning and practicing disaster management at all levels, from local to international.
Build and strengthen a network of local experts and organizations that engage in disaster management by
providing them with expertise that ICHARM has accumulated in research and local projects through workshops atinternational meetings and educational programs at ICHARM.

( iii ) Efficient information networking
1.

2.

Promote the collection, analysis, and sharing of data and information on large-scale water-related disasters
around the world by strengthening a global network of researchers.
Mainstream disaster risk reduction in the national and international agenda by disseminating expertise on waterrelated disaster risk management and building and maintaining an international network of influential
organizations, such as the International Flood Initiative.

The ICHARM Mid-Term Programme and the ICHARM Work Plan are also available at:
http://www.icharm.pwri.go.jp/program/index.html
http://www.icharm.pwri.go.jp/special_topic/20200609_GoverningBoard/5_Work%20Plan.pdf

Three Pillars
of ICHARM Activities

Innovative Research-Advanced Technology-

Communities

DonorsRCUWM TEHRAN,
IWPC

SHI

NGOs

KDPA, KICT, K-Water

IWHR, IRTCES

Typhoon Committee

USGS, USBR, IWR

ICIMOD, BWDB, RID,
DID, HTC, MRC

MLIT, MEXT, NILIM, UNU, ADRC,FRICS, NARBO, IFNet, JWF, JICA,GRIPS, JAXA, DPRI, UY, NIED, JWA

UNESCO, WMO, UNDRR, IAHS,
IAHR, ICSU, UNESCO-IHE
Government of Pakistan

UCD

Government of Philippines, ADB

Government of Sri Lanka

HidroEX

Government of Indonesia

Government of Bangladesh

Government of Myanmar

Researchers

Policymakers

Practitioners

Efficient Information
Networking
Practicing Localism

Effective Capacity
Building
Innovative Research

ICHARM act on “localism.” We interpret the term torefer to the implementation of projects tailored to
local needs and conditions and practice thisprinciple by taking full advantage of the three pillars
of ICHARM: innovative research, effective capacity
building, and efficient information networking.

-Advanced Technology-

Efficient
Information Networking

Effective Capacity
Building

Implementing projects by practicing localism

Efficient Information Networking
http://www.ifi-home.info/

International Flood Initiative (IFI)The International Flood Initiative (IFI) is a worldwide framework to promote collaboration in flood
management among international organizations such as UNESCO, WMO, UNU and UNISDR.
ICHARM has been serving as its secretariat.
On October 31, 2016, IFI hosted a side event in advance of the 8th High-Level Expert Panel on
Water and Disaster (HELP), and the participants discussed the implementation strategy and theframework for action proposed to achieve better flood management throughout the world.
The meeting adopted the Jakarta Declaration to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration tofurther advance sustainable development and flood risk reduction. Based on the declaration,
ICHARM is conducting activities to support countries in the establishment of the “platform” todiscuss and formulate strategies for the reduction of disasters in collaboration with other IFI
partners. This effort has already started in Asia-Pacific countries such as the Philippines, Sri Lanka,
Myanmar and Pakistan, and is expected to expand to other countries.

Meeting on the Platform in Philippines (February 7, 2019)

Session on the platform in Australia (November 4, 2019)

Contribution to The Typhoon Committee is an inter-governmental body under the joint auspices of the Economic and Social Commission
Typhoon Committee for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the World Meteorological Organization, established in 1968 to promote andcoordinate the planning and implementation of damage reduction measures for the protection of people and property in
the Asia-Pacific region from typhoons. Researchers of ICHARM have been serving as the chairperson of the Hydrology
Working Group of the committee.

Innovative Research -Advanced TechnologyFlood Analysis Systems developed by ICHARM
Development of Water and Energy Budget Based Rainfall-Runoff-Inundation (WEB-RRI) Model
ICHARM has developed a new hydrological model, “Water and Energy Budget Based Rainfall-Runoff-Inundation (WEB-RRI) Model,” to address floods,
droughts, and other issues related to Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) under changing climate. The WEB-RRI model consists of four major
modules (Fig. 1).
The merits of the WEB-RRI model are as follows:• Physical formulations of hydrological processes, which is necessary to improve the accuracy of reproduction and risk assessment of flood and drought
events.
• Reconstruction of hydrological parameters, which enables a decrease in computational burden from pre-running of the model in practical applications
such as flood forecasting, drought monitoring, and seasonal predictions.
• Reliable responses to the water cycle variability as well as climate change scenarios, which are necessary to practice IWRM under changing climate forsustainable developments.
Richard’s model
SiB2 model
Darcy’s model

Digital Elevation Model(1) Energy andwater flux balance(2) Verticalsoil moisture
distribution(4) 1-D river flow
and interactions(3) 2-D lateral flows
and interactions

Ground Water

Surface flow

River Routing

Ground waterriver flowinteraction

Ground water flow

Ground water-soil
moisture interactions

Slope-river flowinteraction

Figure 1. Schematic diagram of the Water and Energy Balanced based Rainfall–Runoff–
Inundation (WEB-RRI) model and its four major modules:
1) the vertical energy and water flux transfer between land and atmosphere;2) soil moisture dynamics and groundwater recharge;3) surface flow and groundwater flow estimation using 2-D diffusive wave equations andtheir interactions;4) river flow estimation using 1-D diffusive wave equations and its interactions.

Image of WEB-RRI model

Development of a system for providing the water level information of small and medium rivers
6

Predicted water level 6 hours ahead(With assimilation)

5

Observed water level
Calculated water level（Without assimilation）

4

3.35m ▼Dangerous water level

Water level [m]In collaboration with related organizations such as MLIT, ICHARM has
been conducting a research project aimed to develop a system forproviding the water level information of small and medium rivers byconducting trend analysis using observed water levels. This program ispart of the PRISM program, led by the Cabinet Office, and ICHARM is incharge of the following tasks:① Development of a simple, low-cost run-off model and a water-level
conversion method（the RRI model and a particle filter method）② Research on a method for improving prediction accuracy using
observed water levels collected using water gauges designed
specifically for emergency use during a flood.
③ Development of an automatic calculation and display system forflood forecasting.

Calculated water level（With PF assimilation）

3

2.2m ▼Evacuation water level2 ▼Warning water level

1.6m

1

▼Designated water level

0

Observed water level

0.9mRiver cross-section-1-2

Calculated water level using analytical rainfall
6:00

9:00

5 July 2017

12:00

15:00

18:00

21:00

0:00

6 July

3:00

6:00

9:00

12:00

Date time

Example of the assimilation of water-level data using the Particle Filter method

Field Investigations
In addition to data and numerical analysis, ICHARM conducts field investigations and uses data and information from them tostudy flooding and associated sediment and driftwood transport and topographic changes over a wide area from the upperbasin to the estuary. We apply the findings on those phenomena to study disaster risk assessment methods.

A house half-buried in a massive
amount of sediment after a flood
event that hit Marumori Town,
Miyagi Pref., Japan, during thepassing of Typhoon Hagibis in
September 2019.

An area along the Souzu River in
Saka Town, Hiroshima Pref.,Japan, severely affected by aflood with a massive amount of
sediment in July 2018

Field investigation in February 2019 in the Sittaung River,
Myanmar: preparation of equipment (right), sampling of riverwater and bank and riverbed material (middle), and a tidal bore in
the river estuary. Bank retreat occurs at the rate of 1,000 m/year
in some sections where the retreat is most active. The bankerosion is causing life-threatening issues, such as losses ofagricultural land and settlements.

Innovative Research -Advanced TechnologyResearch Activities on Risk Assessment and Risk Reduction
Creation of Community-Level Flood Contingency Plans
ICHARM has been studying methods for supporting municipalities
and communities in developing flood contingency plans by creating achronological scenario of a possible flood disaster based on scientificfindings acquired using advanced technologies such as the RRI model.
We have so far provided this assistance for communities in the
Pampanga River basin of the Philippines and the Volta River basin of
the Republic of Niger.

Flood hazard map of an extreme flood event

Publication of Collection of Critical Situations
during Flood Emergency Response

ICHARM developed a collection of critical situations
during flood emergency response based on postdisaster reports (after-action review reports) produced
by local governments.

Open discussion with residents
Pages explaining a case of the critical situations

Research on flood risk assessment and information sharing in poorly-gauged river basins
Scenario of flood experience in VR space

VR goggles

The scene starts
from the 1st floor.

The road by thehouse gets
inundated.

Situation: A house is being inundated
due to a river flood.

The 1st floor
The 2nd floor
gets inundated. gets inundated.

The residents
evacuate to therooftop.

Not very scared: 6.3%
Q. Did you feel scared when you
experienced flooding virtually?

Very scared: 58.6%

A little scared: 32.4%

Not scared: 2.7%

Floods are not an everyday event. Because of that, people
tend to think that floods certainly occur, but somewhere
not where they are. This mentality poses a serious
problem in preparing well for floods. To address this issue,
ICHARM has developed an application to experience a
virtual flood using VR technology (Fig.1). At two outreach
events held by ICHARM and the Public Works ResearchInstitute, people had opportunities to try out this new
application and were asked afterward to answer somequestions, such as if they felt scared when experiencing aflood virtually. From their responses, we found that over
90% of them felt scared, though to different degrees,
which indicates that this type of application can be aneffective tool to help people realize the destructive natureof floods and the importance of preparing well for future
events.
future (RCP8.5 2075-2099)

current

Water Disaster Risk Assessment under Climate Change
ICHARM has been a member institute of a MEXT 5-year
research project, “Integrated Research Program for
Advancing Climate Models (TOUGOU program),” since 2017.
In this project, we have worked on the development of aquantitative method to project possible changes in floodand drought risks in the Davao River basin, the Philippines,
and the Solo River basin, Indonesia, due to global warming
and to evaluate resulting socio-economic impacts. Based onthese results, we are working with their government
agencies to develop and implement adaptation plans. In
2018, we calculated changes in flood risk due to futureclimate variations in three cities of Vietnam as part of an
ADB project.

difference

Present and future maximum
inundation depths (top) andtheir difference (bottom) incentral Vietnam

Effective Capacity Building
ICHARM offers educational and training programs thatthe capacity of both individuals and organizations in
Educational and training programs strengthen
disaster management. We also conduct post-training follow-up

activities, such as seminars for ex-trainees in their countries, tolearn issues they are facing in their work so that we can design
new training courses to help solve them.

No. of ICHARM M.Sc. Program students

The 13th ICHARM Follow-up Seminar (2020.2）

1. M.Sc. program: This one-year M.Sc. program, “Water-related Disaster Management Course of Disaster
Management Policy Program,” has been provided since 2007 jointly with JICA and GRIPS. The program is mainly
designed for government officers in flood management in developing countries. Students attend lectures,practices and field trips in the first half of the year and work on a master’s thesis in the second half. As of
September 2020, a total of 150 students graduated with a master’s degree in disaster management.
2. Ph.D. program: Ph.D. program, “Disaster Management Program,” has been provided since 2010 incollaboration with GRIPS. As of October 2020, a total of 12 students received a doctoral degree, and five
students (Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Ethiopia and Japan) are studying in the program.
3. Short-term training program: Participants learn knowledge and technologies relevant to water-related
disaster risk management for a period of several days or weeks. Since 2019, we have been supporting JICA in
implementing a training course on flood risk reduction by conducting capacity building activities as part of thecourse curriculum.
4. Follow-up activity: Post-training seminars and other workshops and meetings are occasionally organized
mainly to support ex-trainees’ activities in their countries.

Graduation ceremony at GRIPS (2018.9)

Implementing projects by practicing localism
World Bank Brazil projectIn the World Bank Brazil project (Technical Assistance in Implementing
a Pilot of Agriculture Drought Monitoring and Prediction), ICHARM
developed a drought monitoring and seasonal prediction system for
the Brazilian Northeast. This system can monitor surface and deep soil
moisture and crop growth (in terms of leaf area index andevapotranspiration) and predict them for up to approximately threemonths ahead. It can also estimate the water use needed to maximize
crop yields. Locally, the drought status is determined throughmonitoring and seasonal prediction using this system, and the results
are used to formulate farming plans. ICHARM will continue to improve
the system, hoping to create an advanced system for providing
information useful for farming.

Land surface soil moisture

Evapotranspiration

Root-zone soil moisture

Leaf area index

Sample results of drought monitoring and seasonal prediction

Platform on Water Resilience andDisasters in Davao City, Philippines
ICHARM has been assisting communities in thePhilippines in promoting the Platform on Water
Resilience and Disasters in cooperation with local
water-related organizations and other stakeholders to
improve their risk management of and resilience towater-related disasters. In Davao City, one of themost active areas regarding the Platform project, an
activity design has been developed to plan climatechange adaptation measures, which include
preparation of recommendations to policymakers,
capacitybuilding
forstakeholders,andimplementation of policies in society.

Davao City’s activity design for climate change adaptation

Orientation on climate change in Davao City (2019.10)

Organization

Budget(百万円)

Public Works Research Institute (PWRI)International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management(ICHARM)
Tsukuba Central Research Institute

President

Civil Engineering ResearchInstitute for Cold Region (CERI)International
Centre for Water Hazard
Chief Researcher
Deputy Director of

Executiveand Risk Management(ICHARM)ICHARM(Director of Water-related
Director

Center for Advanced Engineering
Structural Assessment and Research(CAESAR)
Innovative Materials and Resources
Research Center (iMaRRC)

Hazard Research Group)

Director for Special
Research
Training &Research Advisor(Training)

Chief Researcher(Risk Management)
Chief Researcher(Water-related Hazard)
Chief Researcher(Special assignment)

Achievements & Contributions
Mar. 6ICHARM was officially established with Prof. Kuniyoshi Takeuchi as the first director.
Sep. 14
Held ICHARM inaugural ceremony & commemorative symposium. (a)2007 Oct. 4
Started an M.Sc. program on water-related risk management with JICA and GRIPS. (b)(a)
2008 Jun. 2-Jul. 11 Held a training course, “Comprehensive Tsunami Disaster Prevention,” with UNISDR.
2009 Nov. 13
Started a ADB joint project, “Capacity Development Technical Assistance (TA7276-REG)”. (c)2010 Oct.
Started a doctoral program on disaster management with GRIPS.
2011 Sep. 27-29
Hosted an international symposium, “Floods – A global problem that needs local solutions (ICFM5)”.
Jan.
Started the UNESCO Pakistan Project.
2012
Jul. 10-Aug. 7 Started a capacity development training on flood risk management with IFAS. (d)Mar. 5-6
Hosted a side event at the UN Special Thematic Session on Water & Disasters at New York.
2013
Jul. 23
The agreement on ICHARM between Japan and UNESCO was renewed.
Feb. 25
Held the first ICHARM Governing Board meeting.
2014 Jul.
Started a ADB joint project, “Capacity Development Technical Assistance (TA8456-MYA)”.
Oct. 1
Welcomed Prof. Toshio Koike as the second director.
Mar. 14-18
Attended the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction at Sendai. (e)2015Apr. 12-17
Attended the 7th World Water Forum at Daegu. (f)Mar. 1-2
Held the Asian Water Cycle Symposium (AWCS) 2016 at Tokyo.
2016
Mar. 3
Held the second ICHARM Governing Board meeting.
(e)Jan. 10
Held an implementation planning workshop on IFI at the 9th GEOSS Asia-Pacific Symposium at Tokyo.
Jun.
Sent a researcher as a member of the Japan Disaster Relief Expert Team dispatched by the Japanese government to Sri Lanka.
2017 Jul. 20
Attended the 3rd United Nations Special Thematic Session on Water and Disasters at New York.
Sep. 19-20
Held a workshop on IFI at the 10th GEOSS Asia-Pacific Symposium at Hanoi.
Sec. 11-12
Attended the 3rd Asia-Pacific Water Summit at Yangon. (g)Feb. 14
Held the third ICHARM Governing Board meeting.
2018 Mar. 17-23
Held a workshop on IFI at the 8th World Water Forum at Brasilia.
Oct. 24-26
Attended the 11th GEOSS Asia-Pacific Symposim at Kyoto.
Jun. 24
Attended the 4th United Nations Special Thematic Session on Water and Disasters at New York.
2019 Sep. 30
Executive Director Toshio Koike received the International Science Cooperation Award 2018 from the Chinese Academy of Science.
Nov. 2-4
Held a workshop on IFI at the 12th GEOSS Asia-Oceania Group on Earth Observations at Canberra.
Feb. 13
The agreement on ICHARM between the government of Japan and UNESCO was renewed.
2020 Apr. 1
Started a collabolative research project, "the SATREPS program," with the Philippines.
Jun. 2
Held the 4th ICHARM Governing Board meeting. (h)2006Access

Where in Tsukuba City

(b)

(c)

(d)

(f)

(g)

(h)

Where at PWRI
Entrance

Entrance
via PWRI

Main gateof PWRIInternational Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management under the auspices of UNESCO (ICHARM)
Public Works Research Institute (PWRI), National Research and Development Agency, Japan
1-6 Minamihara, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, 305-8516, Japan
TEL +81-29-879-6809 FAX +81-29-879-6709 Email：icharm@pwri.go.jp URL: http://www.icharm.pwri.go.jp/

Revised on 2020.10.1