Summary of Proceedings

1. Second Annual Flood Forum Information Flow, Networking and Partnership Summary of Proceedings

2. Second Annual Flood Forum • Share FMM experiences from the 2002 Flood (Session 2) • Discuss Tools, Products, Information and Services (Session 3) • Group Discussion, Institutional Setup and Networking (Session 4) • Partner Experiences (Session 5) • Group Discussion, Priorities of Regional Collaboration (Session 6)

3. Second Annual Flood Forum— Information Flow, Networking, and Partnership Summary of Proceedings— Session 2, National FMM Experience and Agenda • Preliminary analysis of LMRB floods and droughts notes changes in land use, population, and floodplain structural development. Though there are non-uniform rainfall changes, cause and effect is unclear, and more data and information are needed • Comprehensive presentations on floods and droughts in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, along with information on loss of life and property, emergency response, flood management, lessons learned, institutional issues, and recommendations

4. Second Annual Flood Forum— Information Flow, Networking, and Partnership Summary of Proceedings— Session 2, National FMM Experience and Agenda • Recommendations include improved: • Non-structural measures of weather forecasts, flood forecasting and warning, water and floodplain management, community level communications, reforestation and other forms of natural-resources conservation, and numerous “living-with-floods” issues • Structural measures of detention ponds, diversion canals, pumping stations, and other water-management structures

5. Second Annual Flood Forum— Information Flow, Networking, and Partnership Summary of Proceedings— Session 3, Tools, Products, Information, and Services • New concept of flash flood monitoring and warning in Bangkok, with an integration of real-time radar and rain gage data, and rapid analysis and dissemination of data, warning, and graphics to users • Flood mapping and function of floodplains, and results of hydraulic modelling of the Mekong River and floodplains in the vicinity of Phnom Penh, which helps to explain how floodplains help to reduce flood peaks

6. Second Annual Flood Forum— Information Flow, Networking, and Partnership Summary of Proceedings— Session 3, Tools, Products, Information, and Services • Climate and atmospheric models that produce medium- and long-term Ganges, Bramaputra, and Megna River forecasts in South Asia, with possible application in the LMRB, based on results of the Climate Forecast Application in Bangladesh (CFAB) Project • Programmatic aspects of Asia Flood Network, a program to transfer USGS and NOAA technologies to counterparts in the LMRB and South Asia • Application of digital broadcast satellites to convey a wide variety of information to even the most remote user, via RANET technology and program

7. Second Annual Flood Forum— Information Flow, Networking, and Partnership Summary of Proceedings— Session 3, Tools, Products, Information, and Services • MRC Flood Management and Mitigation Programme components of: • Regional FMM Centre • Structural Measures and Flood Proofing • Mediation of Trans-Boundary Issues • Flood Emergency Management Strengthening • Land Use Management • FMM Schedule and Budget

8. Second Annual Flood Forum— Information Flow, Networking, and Partnership Summary of Proceedings— Session 4, Institutional Setup and Networking • Working Groups 1 and 2-High Priority Items that MRC can help facilitate • Cambodia—improved real-time data collection and communications networks, forecasting, and flood-inundation mapping • Thailand—improved mid- and long-term weather forecasts • Vietnam—improved rainfall and water-level data, hydrologic models, and long-term forecasts • Laos—improved data collection and communications networks to remote areas, forecasting, flood-inundation mapping, and training

9. Second Annual Flood Forum— Information Flow, Networking, and Partnership Summary of Proceedings— Session 4, Institutional Setup and Networking • Working Groups 3, 4, and 5-High Priority Items that MRC can help facilitate • (a) Regional and national systems of flood awareness raising and (b) improved identification of focal points via NMCs and MRCS • Improved coordination (a) between MRC and upper Mekong Basin countries, (b) with other river basin organizations, (c) with upper basin countries • Better (a) national data and information for forecasting, (b) access to data and information by ordinary people, (c) sharing of data and information between upper and lower basin countries, and (d) more river-awareness kits. Also more meetings and forums

10. Second Annual Flood Forum— Information Flow, Networking, and Partnership Summary of Proceedings— Session 5, Presentation of Partners’ Experiences • WWF provided an overview of the relationship of structural development and biodiversity in Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Striving to conduct research to strengthen structural-development standards to make future development sustainable, while still protecting biodiversity • A highly informative summary of the LARS-2 Symposium and the importance of (a) fisheries in the LMRB, (b) the flood-pulse concept, and (c) food security

11. Second Annual Flood Forum— Information Flow, Networking, and Partnership Summary of Proceedings— Session 5, Presentation of Partners’ Experiences • Overview of the International Federation of Red Cross/Crescent Societies liaison with riparian societies and disaster-management communities, and a wide range of activities of disaster preparedness and response. Numerous lessons learned and ways forward issues were recounted to strengthen preparedness and response • American and Cambodian Red Cross presentation on providing relevant and understandable MRC flood-warning information to selected Cambodian communities, and feedback from the communities

12. Second Annual Flood Forum— Information Flow, Networking, and Partnership Summary of Proceedings— Session 5, Presentation of Partners’ Experiences • Overview of the Third World Water Forum, which among many other issues seeks to make water “everybody’s business.” Findings of the Forum presented at the Ministerial Conference at the G-8 Evian Summit. Also brief overview of the Interactive Flood Network (IFNet) • Discussion of the Mekong HYCOS, a World Meteorological Initiative to (a) meet the challenges of water assessment and management, and flood forecasting and warning in the LMRB as part of a (b) World HYCOS—WHYCOS. Presented in the context of other regional HYCOS projects

13. Second Annual Flood Forum— Information Flow, Networking, and Partnership Summary of Proceedings— Session 5, Presentation of Partners’ Experiences • Overview of World Food Program Food Aid Intervention and Enabling Development programs in the LMRB through offices in Laos, Cambodia, and Bangkok. Discussed incubation, onset, response, recovery and full adjustment steps to disasters. MRC maps, data, and coordination “work” for WFP as it maps poverty and disaster vulnerability areas, and plans accordingly

14. Second Annual Flood Forum—Information Flow, Networking, and Partnership Summary of Proceedings— Session 5, Presentation of Partners’ Experiences • Wide-ranging Asian Disaster Preparedness Center overview of • Riparian disaster management and response, and new initiates • Regional initiatives including MRC FMP and Asia Regional Program on Disaster Management, and their several components • Global linkages including the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction • Other associated projects and activities, capacity development, and GTZ appraisal mission of FMP Component 4 • Next steps…………

15. Second Annual Flood Forum— Information Flow, Networking, and Partnership Summary of Proceedings— Session 6, Group Discussions; Priorities for Regional Collaboration Group 1- Data and information sharing, flash floods, GIS, information at different time and spatial scale. Also real-time data, improved tools and models, flash flood systems, more extensive data-collection networks to include tributaries, education and capacity development in technologies, awareness training, multi-level disaster training, web links, data for flood (plain) evaluation, international data sharing, joint working group on scientific data analysis

16. Second Annual Flood Forum— Information Flow, Networking, and Partnership Summary of Proceedings— Session 6, Group Discussions; Priorities for Regional Collaboration Group 2 – Assessment of flood damages (economic and social), community capacity building, basic flood information for communities, trans-boundary conflict mediation/resolution, solving political and legal intervention, introduce operational-level technologies Group 3 – New technology policies, long-term forecasting, improve flood-risk maps, community level preparedness and relief, technology for long-term flood/drought forecasts, improved technology for agriculture and floodplain management, access to date from all Mekong countries, long term rainfall forecasts, flash-flood and landslide forecasts

17. Second Annual Flood Forum— Information Flow, Networking, and Partnership Summary of Proceedings— Session 6, Group Discussions; Priorities for Regional Collaboration Group 4 – Improved management tools, technically appropriate standards, improved technical modelling, improving qualifications of researchers, decision makers, planners and implementers, public participation mechanisms, strengthening local communities and dissemination information to them, establish national/regional flood centers

18. Second Annual Flood Forum— Information Flow, Networking, and Partnership Summary of Proceedings Please applaud for your job well done at the Forum in networking and strengthening partnerships!