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There has been a general promotion of small and medium sized dams as the solution to supply water for domestic, sanitation and other livelihood purposes in the less industrialised countries of the world. This paper aims to communicate and share ideas and experiences with policy makers and other engineering practitioners in issues related to the sedimentation of, and the development of small and medium sized dams so that relevant issues are taken into account in the planning, design and implementation of such small and medium sized dams.

This paper, which is a viewpoint, utilises the findings of various research work carried out in Zimbabwe and findings from other regional and international literature as a basis for discussion and arriving at some engineering and other developmental policy recommendations. The research work utilised and analysed in this paper is based on actual field work carried out by others as cited.

The paper concludes that the following policy and technical issues should always be borne in mind in the promotion of small and medium sized dams: the predicted increase in rainfall intensities due to climate change/variability requires the review of existing small and medium sized dam spillway capacity designs; an increase in the minimum storage ratios of small and medium sized dams should be made from the current recommended 0.1‐0.3; further research work is required to validate the postulation that rainfall intensities are increasing due to the effects of climate change/variability resulting in increased sedimentation of reservoirs; whilst sediments are required for ecosystem sustenance, they can also be viewed as a pollutant in respect of certain other human water supply needs; do not build small dams on large catchments as such small dams will silt‐up quickly and thereafter pose challenges in the management and disposal of the accumulated sediments and nutrients when decommissioning/rehabilitating them; every dam site, irrespective of the resultant dam size, should be developed to its maximum potential in respect of the dam site's water yield and/or prevailing topography; WHO predicts that road traffic injuries will rise to become the fifth leading cause of death by 2030. The “vulnerable road users” and/or their estates should also receive like attention and timely compensation benefits as advocated for the large dam's “disadvantaged and vulnerable” people.

Every year, about 1 per cent of the world's reservoir capacities are lost to sedimentation. Most researchers postulate that an increase in the intensity of rainfall due to climate change/variability is imminent and will result in increased sediment loads with resultant negative impacts on dam reservoir life‐spans and usefulness. This paper discusses the advantages, disadvantages and efficiency of small and medium sized dams in satisfying the various beneficiary needs in the less industrialised countries of the world. The technical issues that have to be considered in the design and construction of such small and medium sized dams in order to minimise the negative impacts of sedimentation in their development are also presented and discussed. The opinions and conclusions drawn in the viewpoint are those of the author.

Sacheverel Bateman's home will end up under water if unspoilt Tattingstone Valley is flooded for a reservoir. Over the country conservationists have proved too strong and the result is a national water crisis. Ian Mandle reports; pictures by Eric Lockrane.

Floods in Vietnam have been a well-known phenomenon and occur in all regions of the country, especially in the Central Coast region, Mekong Delta, and Red River Delta (Socialist Republic of Vietnam, 2007). People had to learn to live with floods, particularly those whose livelihood depends on the productive functions of annual flooding. Floods are embedded in Vietnamese culture, as ancestors of the Vietnamese nation regarded flooding as one of the four biggest dangers to people, along with fires, robbers, and invaders (Tran, Marincioni, Shaw, Sarti, & An, 2008).

This paper aims to study dams on transboundary rivers. In this study, the case of the Nu–Salween–Thanlwin River is reviewed. This study is an attempt toward developing a conceptual model to explain the unequal hydropower exchange of hydropower dams on transboundary rivers.

This paper reviews big dam project plans on the Salween–Thanlwin River near the Myanmar–Thailand border from the perspective of critical hydropolitics. The evidence is drawn from an extensive review of academic literature, reports, newspapers and websites on this topic. Cascao and Zeitoun’s (2010) four pillars of power, namely, geographical, material, bargaining and ideational power, are reviewed in the case of the Salween–Thanlwin River and its riparian states.

On the basis of a realist discourse, power relationships between dams and their socio-environmental effects are discussed from the perspective of critical hydropolitics. Multiple levels of power asymmetry regarding geographical, material, bargaining and ideational power are observed. The powerful states are high electricity consumers and importers. They invest in hydroelectric dams of adjacent developing states and buy back most of the electricity generated to fuel their industrialization and urbanization. Weak states generally do not have high bargaining power. They depend on the investment of high material power states for domestic and economic development and gain from the export of electricity. However, the externalities of hydropower dams are transferred to these weak states. This contributes to an unequal hydropower exchange model.

The model provides an analytical framework for hydropower dam projects through which comprehensive and multidimensional views are extracted. Academia, policymakers, private developers, international development agencies and nongovernment organizations will have a better understanding of hydropower dam projects and the interactions among riparian states.

This conceptual model stems from Cascao and Zeitoun’s (2010) four pillars of power – geographical, material, bargaining and ideational power. The author limits the framework to hydroelectric dams in transboundary rivers. The powerful states are high electricity consumers and importers that dominate the dam development projects and exchange process.

While existing research confirms that hazardous locations increase fear and decrease entrepreneurial intentions, there is only limited knowledge on why and how business managers decide to invest in flood-prone areas to create economic benefits. The purpose of this paper is to employ location and protection motivation theories as complementary lenses for this investigation.

Data were purposively collected from ten businesses. Then, using MAXQDA 2018 software programme for qualitative data, a systematic content analysis was carried out to draw empirical insights from the selected cases.

Consistent with both location and protection motivation theories, research findings show that strategic location, proximity to supporting and related businesses, availability of public goods, lack of alternative locations and proximity to social services are the key drivers related to location decisions. Furthermore, the economic benefits gained from flood-prone areas overshadow the adverse impact of floods, compelling business managers to apply structural and non-structural strategies to overcome flood risks.

This is a pioneering phenomenon-based research contributing to the understanding of the geographic aspect of business behaviour by explaining why and how business managers decide to invest in flood-prone instead of safer areas. It differs from previous studies by building on the overlooked complementarities between location theory and protection motivation theory in explaining the economic benefits accruing from flood-prone areas. Finally, the study calls for business managers and policy advisers to safely align the use of flood-prone areas with income-generating activities.

The purpose of this paper is to reassess Chiswell's vulnerability to storm and sea flooding since an analysis made in 1979 and to identify characteristics of resilience, a more recent item of disaster studies terminology.

Chiswell's geography, geomorphology and changes affecting its vulnerability up to 1979, are described against its history of storms. Two serious storms in 1978 and 1979 drew attention to Chiswell's need of improved protection and a flood alleviation scheme was completed. Some consequences for Chiswell of the completed scheme are described and considered in relation to climate change, Chiswell's inclusion in the UNESCO Jurassic Coast and its expression of human ecology in a context of natural hazards of the sea.

Resilience existed before its inclusion in the terminology of disaster studies. The role of a community pressure group and of local and national administrations are considered against the timescale of protection provision. The essential requirement of external inputs before community resilience became evident is highlighted, together with additional observed and itemised characteristics of resilience.

Updated research is based upon the results of rapid field observation and extensive use of internet sources, not available in 1979.

Realities of resilience may assist interpretation of its theoretical evaluations and expectations.

As yet, there are few field evaluations of resilience.

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Some company leaders develop their businesses in locations prone to natural disasters like flooding. Careful consideration of important location factors can help such companies mitigate the risks involved and their consequences while realizing economic benefits.

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format

The paper aims to examine the effects of floods on economic growth in India from 1980 to 2019, taking into account the role of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and foreign aid.

The study uses augmented Dickey–Fuller (ADF) and Phillip–Perron (PP) tests to determine the stationarity of the variables. Several models, including autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL), fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS), dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS) and canonical cointegration regression (CCR), are used to examine the impact of floods on economic growth.

The bounds test determines the long-term relationship between floods, FDI inflows, economic growth and foreign aid. According to the ARDL and FMOLS models, floods have a negative long-term and short-term impact on India’s economic growth. Furthermore, FDI inflows and foreign aid are beneficial to economic growth. The findings of the ARDL and FMOLS models are confirmed by the DOLS and CCR models. Granger causality establishes a unidirectional causality that extends from floods to economic growth. Further diagnostic tests show that the estimates are free of heteroskedasticity, serial correlation and parameter instability.

Indian government needs to invest more in research and development on flood management techniques. Institutional strengthening is also required to implement pre- and post-flood prevention measures properly. Sound disaster financing strategy and proper water bodies management should be prioritised. Foreign investment opportunities should be encouraged by strengthening international relations.

This is the first time-series study that analysed the effects of floods on economic growth in India. Moreover, the paper contributes to floods literature by applying several econometric models for robustness check.