The Philippines is among the top countries with the highest increase in the number of people affected by coastal flooding by 2030.
The list comes from Aqueduct Floods, a data platform run by World Resources Institute (WRI), an environmental research organization.
According to data from the Aqueduct tool, which analyzes flood risks and solutions around the world, flooding has already caused more than $1 trillion in losses globally since 1980.
The situation is poised to worsen. Analysis from WRI’s Aqueduct Floods finds that the number of people affected by floods will double worldwide by 2030.
The number of people affected by riverine floods will rise from 65 million in 2010 to 132 million in 2030. The number impacted by coastal flooding will increase from 7 million to 15 million.
It threatens economies as well. The amount of urban property damaged by riverine floods will increase threefold — from $157 billion to $535 billion annually. Urban property damaged by coastal storm surge and sea level rise will increased tenfold — from $17 billion to $177 billion annually.
The list of countries that are most at risk to coastal flooding includes Bangladesh followed by Viet Nam, India, Indonesia, China, Nigeria, the Philippines, Egypt and Malaysia.
“Flood risk is increasing dramatically due to heavier rains and storms fueled by climate change, socioeconomic factors such as population growth and increased development near coasts and rivers, and land subsidence driven by overdrawing groundwater,” Aqueduct Floods reported. “In places experiencing the worst flood risk, all three of these threats are converging.”
Climate change will affect 85,373 Filipinos living along the coast, according to Aqueduct Floods estimates. Social economic factors will bring coastal floods to 136,862 Filipinos.
Subsidence — sinking in coastal cities, largely caused by the overexploitation of groundwater —will cause floods affecting 59,253 Filipinos by 2030.
India, Bangladesh and Indonesia have some of the largest populations affected by riverine and coastal floods each year. By 2030, these three countries will account for 44 percent of the world’s population annually affected by riverine floods, and 58 percent of population affected by coastal floods.
Growing populations and booming urban development in flood plains will increase both riverine and coastal flood risk in many countries. Even extremely water-stressed nations like Saudi Arabia will suffer.
The United States is projected to see an additional $16 billion in flood damages to urban property annually by 2030, with $4 billion caused by subsidence. This is more subsidence-driven flood risk than any other country.
According to Aqueduct Floods, flood protection measures offer a strong return on investment. For example, the three countries with the highest number of people affected by riverine flooding — India, Bangladesh and Indonesia — are all suitable candidates for riverine dikes.
Every $1 spent on dike infrastructure in Bangladesh may result in $123 in avoided damages to urban property, when moving from the existing three-year flood protection system to a 10-year flood protection system by 2050. This investment would reduce the likelihood of floods from 33 percent to 10 percent.
There are job creation benefits. The costs for building flood defenses are not just a one-off capital investment; they require maintenance which creates long-term jobs that stay in the local community.
Green infrastructure like mangroves, reefs and sand dunes also act as natural buffers to coastal storms. Intact forests prevent erosion and can reduce landslides.
Protecting and restoring this natural infrastructure offers flood protection and other benefits like water filtration and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Aqueduct Floods is an online platform that measures and maps global flood risk. WRI co-developed the tool with Deltares, the Institute for Environmental Studies at VrijeUniversiteit Amsterdam, PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency and Utrecht University, with funding from the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and the World Bank.
Aqueduct maps and data are used directly by hundreds of companies and are cited in many publications. It helps governmentsand civil society understand and respond to water risks such as water stress, variability from season-to-season, pollution and water access.
