This oasis of green in the hyper-developed city has an important job: it can contain one million gallons of water. Here’s how.

High resolution imaging and increasingly advanced sensor technologies are allowing us to ever-more-closely monitor the world around us. Now we can use artificial intelligence and machine learning to update these maps in almost real-time, meaning we always have the latest and most accurate data. As this technology is becoming more affordable, environmental organisations are using […]

Floods caused by rising sea levels could cost as much as $14 trillion if we fail to keep global warming below 2°C.

Flood resilient handpumps in Nepal give communities access to clean, safe water during the monsoon.

Trans-boundary flood early warning systems have the potential to save thousands of lives across Asia.  This example – presented by Practical Action and the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction – shows the potential impact of a warning system between Nepal and India in the Mahakali river basin. 

In June 2015, after two days of heavy rain, flood water washed away Sarah’s small store in Accra, which provided for her family of three. The flood that hit the city in June 2015 affected around 53,000 people in the city and caused an estimated US$100 million in damages. Slum areas in the Odaw basin […]

Heatwaves across south-east Australia continue to break records. New Orleans is still searching for solutions to its flooding issues following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Researchers look for global lessons in the aftermath of extreme weather events to see how cities can respond to environmental challenges ahead.

Disaster preparedness is crucial for prevention of losses and successful coping as well as building community flood resilience. Better preparedness ensures reduced loss of people, their assets and livelihoods. Building on the end to end flood early warning systems Practical Action has been helping communities in its projects to adopt ‘flood mock exercise’ as an […]

Ready or not, the monsoon is upon us again. The first gentle rains come as a boon, helping farmers start cultivating the land on which their livelihood largely depends. But shortly thereafter, the monsoon unleashes its fury, bringing deaths and disasters with scant warning and leaving chaos and confusion in its wake.