ABSTRACT
Due to climate change, hydrometeorological hazards such as river floods are increasing in intensity and frequency. The combination of population growth and socio-economic developments means that more and more people are exposed to floods. This chapter explores the challenges and opportunities in creating a socially just flood risk management that adequately reaches and supports the most vulnerable and poor communities. For a case study in Malawi, we give examples of public and private flood risk management actions across the disaster management phases of preparedness, response, and mitigation. We show the risk of having parallel systems of both NGO- and state-led flood risk management with limited levels of integration. We recommend a more holistic flood risk governance across actors, geographic levels, and types of floods. Currently, developing countries have a lower level of access to technology, funding, and capacity required for effective flood risk management than developed countries. Social justice principles such as distributive and normative justice should drive the equitable allocation of means of implementation to level differences within a country and between those countries with the capacity and those without, recognising the commitment to leave no one behind.
