Risk based economic optimisation of water safety measures is presently being implemented in the more developed countries, but offers potential for developing countries too. With a limited budget, every penny needs to be well spent. It is however questionable if this method fits the circumstances in developing countries. Sufficient data is needed to get reliable results, while developing countries are often data scarce. The sensitivity to uncertainties in the optimisation process due to working with limited data is explored by means of a case study concerning the area of Nyaungdon, Myanmar, which inundates regularly due to the Ayeyarwady River.