Water and Disasters

When disaster strikes, it usually manifests itself through water. Floods, landslides, tsunamis, storms, heat waves, cold spells, droughts and waterborne disease outbreaks are all becoming more frequent and more intense.

The impacts and costs of these events are exacerbated by such factors as unplanned urbanization and degradation of ecosystem services. Reducing risk to, and improving the resilience of, water and sanitation services will be key to maintaining access during a climatically uncertain future.

Challenges

Water-related disasters pose both direct impacts (e.g. damage to buildings, crops and infrastructure, and loss of life and property) and indirect impacts (e.g. losses in productivity and livelihoods, increased investment risk, indebtedness and human health impacts).

The increasing economic cost and toll of disasters should be a significant incentive for governments and humanitarian organizations to focus more attention on preparedness, prevention and addressing the root causes of vulnerability.

Facts and Figures

An average of 25.3 million people are displaced each year by sudden-onset disasters. (IDMC, 2018)
About 90% of all natural disasters are water-related. Over the period 1995–2015, floods accounted for 43% of all documented natural disasters, affecting 2.3 billion people, killing 157,000 and causing US$662 billion in damage. (UNISDR, 2015).
Droughts accounted for 5% of natural disasters, affecting 1.1 billion people, killing 22,000, and causing US$100 billion in damage between 1995 and 2015. (UNISDR, 2015)
For the 68.5 million people who have been forced to flee their homes, accessing safe water services is highly problematic. (UNHCR, 2017)
700 million people worldwide could be displaced by intense water scarcity by 2030. (Global Water Institute, 2013)
Since 1900, more than 11 million people have died as a consequence of drought and more than 2 billion have been affected by drought, more than any other physical hazard. (FAO)
By 2050, rising populations in floodprone lands, climate change, deforestation, loss of wetlands and rising sea levels are expected to increase the number of people vulnerable to flood disaster to 2 billion. (UNESCO, 2012)
Overall, annual economic losses from weather-related disasters are estimated at between US$ 250 billion and US$ 300 billion. (UNISDR, 2015)
Asia is the region most vulnerable to water-related disasters, accounting for more than 45% of fatalities and more than 90% of the people affected by disasters between 1980 and 2006. (UNESCO, 2009)

Water and disasters

Water and Disasters

Challenges

Opportunities

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