Posted on March, 09 2001

Gland, Switzerland - Rivers have to be allowed to flow naturally as they have done for thousands of years to reduce flooding disasters and human suffering such as the ones Hungary, Romania and Ukraine are experiencing now, WWF, the conservation organization, said today.

As tens of thousands of people are being evacuated from their homes and villages in Eastern Europe, WWF believes that a series of concrete measures must be taken to help prevent similar disasters in the future. These steps include re-establishing floodplains that have often been cut off from rivers by dykes or drained for agricultural use. This would protect people and settlements downstream.

In addition no new buildings should be allowed in floodplains. Tree cover in critical upstream areas of river catchments should be preserved or restored because removing the forests that normally soak up melting snow causes soil erosion and allows torrential rains to overwhelm both natural and man-made defences.

"Rivers flood naturally, and bad weather and climate change make floods very extreme," said Georg Rast from WWF Floodplain Institute in Rastatt, Germany. "But simply calling for more or higher dykes is the wrong answer. The only long term solution is to work with nature rather than against it, and allow water to be retained in the floodplains without putting surrounding human settlements at risk."

For further information: Claire Thilo, Danube-Carpathian Programme Office, Tel. +43 1 4881 7271 - Mobile +41 79 238 9652 - claire.thilo@wwf.at