To fully analyze the relationship between water management, environmental conditions and public policy, this book reviews the development of water management and evaluates it from the perspective of the quality of the natural environment. Examples are drawn from around the world, and range from local watershed management to international river basin planning, with emphasis placed on integrative approaches. Successful water management is crucial for the proper operation of natural environmental systems and for the support of human society.

The disastrous effects of natural hazards such as earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes are often called "Acts of God."' Challenging that view, this work depicts natural hazards as extreme events in nature that are made even more dangerous by the acts or the neglect of people. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the toll on society resulting from such environmental episodes has changed significantly in several ways--while fatalities from major events have decreased, the number of reported events causing 100 or more deaths, as well as the extent of property damage, has risen steadily....