International Workshop: WATER AND DISASTERS

International Workshop: WATER AND DISASTERS

"Between 1991 and 2000, the number of people affected by natural disasters rose from 147 million per year to 211 million per year. In the same period, more than 665,000 people died in 2,557 natural disasters, of which 90 percent were water-related. Of these water-related disasters, floods represented about 50 percent, water-borne diseases about 28 percent, and droughts 11 percent.....

"Recorded economic losses from natural catastrophes have grown from US$30 billion in 1990 to US$70 billion in 1999. These figures understate the true scale of loss, which is believed to be double or more than the recorded figures."

The Workshop is to provide an interdisciplinary environment to discuss a variety of international, national and local initiatives aimed at minimizing the negative impacts of water-related disasters. It is to be held at the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction of The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada (December 13 - 14, 2004).

The workshop is sponsored by several organizations including the Canadian Commission for UNESCO and UNESCO's International Hydrological Program.