The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a 500,000-US dollar technical assistance (TA) to help China fight the destructive effects of floods by developing an integrated flood mitigation and flood management strategy.

The TA will draw up a framework for flood mitigation and floodplains management, balancing structural and nonstructural measures, the Manila-based ADB said Tuesday in a statement.

It will also recommend action plans to integrate flood mitigation and floodplains management, producing a handbook on effective flood management for policymakers and local government officials.

The TA will be carried out over 12 months beginning September 2004.

In the wake of the 1998 flood, Chinese government announced a policy that moves toward natural resource management as a long-term, holistic way of flood plain management. It signals a shift from dependence on structural measures for reducing flood damage to a balanced approach using both structural and nonstructural measures.