Integrated flood management in the Red River Valley - Canada

The concept of Integrated Flood Management (IFM) integrates land and water resources development in a river basin with a view to maximizing the efficient use of floodplains and minimizing loss to life due to extreme hydrologic events. IFM recognizes that a river basin is a dynamic system in which there are many interactions and fluxes between land and water bodies. It attempts to try to improve the functioning of the river basin as a whole rather than simply fixing local problems. The presentation described an IFM case study from Canada: Red River Basin in Manitoba. Without doubt it was the 1950 flood, a huge natural disaster, that clearly revealed the vulnerability of settlements along the flood plain in southern Manitoba and in the northern American states of North Dakota and Minnesota, and the high costs associated with flood damages. This was enough to prompt all levels of government to search for ways to mitigate the flood hazard. This was further advanced following the even larger "Flood of the Century" in 1997. The focus in this presentation was on the evolution of flood management practices in the Red River Basin. The following were presented: (a) The short description of the Red River Basin and the history of floods in this watershed; (b) Flood management measures developed and still evolving; (c) Flood and water management policy instruments; (d) Institutions responsible for flood management; (e) Weaknesses in traditional flood management practices to support IFM.