The year 2010, has been a year of major disaster related to floods in China, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and in Central and Eastern Europe (Germany, Poland and Czech Republic). In Pakistan, floods have claimed over 1600 lives and over two million people were left homeless. In India-administered Kashmir, the number of dead in flash floods has risen to 165. Floods across 28 provinces in China this year have killed 1800 and caused US$10bn worth of damage. The massive downpours have caused mudslides, which have killed more than 1117; not least in Wenchuan, Sichuan where people are still recovering from the suffering of the massive earthquake of May 2008. There is a concern that supplies of clean drinking water could become contaminated in these countries due to the flood disaster. The increasing frequency of natural disasters, not least floods, and the devastation caused were highlighted by my editorial of June 2010 [1]. The paper stressed the importance to learn from the experiences of these natural disasters and that future planning and development of the built environments should include consideration of earthquakes and floods. For many people around the World, particularly in developing countries, the dangers associated with flooding are serious. Houses in many countries can be destroyed instantly as a result of heavy rain and flooding. Whether those floods were induced by climate change, is difficult to say, but these are examples of how some areas in the World are struggling to cope with such situations. Although heavier rainfall is expected due to global warming, other factors also play a vital role, such as deforestation and drainage of wetlands to make way for development. Their disappearance has increased the flood risk. Coastal areas around the World can be threatened as sea levels rise. Land used for agricultural and commercial purposes around the coast could be affected drastically, threatening the livelihoods of millions of people. Already some countries are spending millions of dollars (or equivalent) to build levees (e.g. in New Orleans following the flood disaster due to Hurricane Katrina); dykes, embankments or flood-banks to provide flood defence against future rises in river or sea water, keeping residents safe and in large floods, the vital time period to save lives and their properties. Flood control has been practiced since ancient times with methods such as reforestation, and the construction of levees, dams, reservoirs and channels diverting floodwater, called floodways. Levees were used by the ancient Chinese to raise the banks of the Yellow River. Much of the problem stems from the high silt content of the river, as much as 60% by weight; millions of tons of yellow mud have choked the channel (hence Yellow River), causing the river to overflow and change course. Water is held in by dykes of ever increasing height, some reaching over 9.1m and more. Attempts at controlling the Yellow River began as early as the third century BC by a general called Yu who dredged up the river to divide river flow into channels. Great Yu became the Emperor of China later for saving thousands of lives and livelihood supported by the agricultural land [2]. Over the years, the Chinese have