INTRODUCTION

In the past decade frequently occurring floods claimed thousands of lives and caused economic loss of billions US dollars. Among them the Mississippi River flood in 1993, the Rhine River flood in 1995, the Yangtze River flood in 1998, the Haihe River flood in 1996, and the storm surges in Bangladesh in 1991 are the most devastating. It is evident that both the frequency and intensity of flooding are increasing.  

The first International Symposium on Flood Defence in Sep. 2000, initiated by Profs. Toensmann and Koch, attracted more than 200 scientists and engineers gathering in Kassel University discussing the ever-increasing concerned problems and sharing experiences and strategies for flood defence. Many scientists suggested to continue the technical forum and the Tsinghua University (one of the top universities of China) and the International Research and Training Center on Erosion and Sedimentation (IRTCES) are organizing the Second International Symposium on Flood Defence (ISFD'2002) scheduled on Sep. 10-13, 2002. The purpose of the conference is to review the state-of-the-art of the studies on flooding and engineering and non-engineering strategies. The symposium will focuses on a better understanding laws of flooding and environmental problems involved, different perspectives evolved, climate change and its impact on extreme hydrological events, and reporting new approaches to the study and flood control strategies.  

More than ever before, the Chinese government is committed to ensure better and sustainable environment for future generations. For this purpose it launched the well-known Three Gorges Project on the Yangtze River and the Xiaolangdi Reservoir on the Yellow River and is going to construct the so-called South-to-North Water Transfer Project. The symposium in China will provide not only a forum for exchange of the latest development in flood defence but also a chance for the participants of the conference to see the development of hydraulic engineering in China.  

The symposium is designed to attract researchers, practitioners, educators and public officials working or interested in flood control. Researchers will have the opportunity to share recent findings and techniques, and to describe applications of new approaches with innovative methodologies to flooding problems. Practitioners can present recent experiences and discuss problems needing research, both in formal and informal settings. Educators can participate in organized discussions on issues in continuing education and training and share current efforts linking education, practice, and research. Public officials charged with responsibility for flood control and environmental quality will benefit from hearing current trends in research and applications, and can alert the profession to evolving needs in research and application.  

The symposium will be held in Beijing, the capital city of China with a history of 3000 years. Beijing is the cultural, political, and tourism center of China with many hotels of international standards and convenient transportation and communication facilities. The city proper extends over 16,800 sq.km, with population over 10 million. The autumn is the most beautiful season of the area with temperature between 16-30 ℃.