ABSTRACT
In 1989 the United Nations named the period 1990-2000 the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR). Natural disasters were taken to include floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and droughts. At the time it was assumed that the application of modern science and technology could appreciably reduce the risks of loss of life and damage caused by these disasters. While science and technology have indeed reduced these risks in developed countries, their application in developing countries has not been successful. Reasons for this lack of success in flood risk reduction in the developing countries of Africa are presented in this chapter.
