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Information - HS16 Hydrological Assessment and Integrated Water Resources Management with special focus on developing countries
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Event Information |
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Water is an important factor in achieving the Millennium development goals adopted by the international community. Globally, there is a clear political willingness to invest in water projects in developing countries, most likely through a large number of small projects at village level rather than through a handful of mega-projects. Technically, such diffuse development raises scientific challenges. The first concerns the hydrological assessment of available water resources at different scales. The second challenge is proper design procedures for cost-effective design of a large number of locally optimized small projects. Finally, there is the challenge of assessing the overall impact of diffuse development process in terms of economy, hydrology, and ecology.
At a global scale, there is much discussion on the extent and severity of water scarcity. Appropriate assessment is often hindered by a lack of adequate understanding of the temporal and spatial variation of water quantity and quality. Equally important is that relevant ecological- and socio-economic constraints are often not an integral part of the appraisal. Truly integrated water resource assessments should consider the economics as well as social, environmental and resource costs and benefits. The distinction between blue and green water and the role that virtual water trade can play to mitigate water scarcity are also important. .
The session invites visionary papers, assessment studies at different scales and modelling approaches and results. In particular, papers that demonstrate new insights in process-understanding and process-based model development and how this can be integrated into Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) are solicited. Authors wishing to present studies that concern developing countries are especially encouraged to submit an abstract. Both hydrologists and management researchers are invited to join in this session because it is expected that much is to be gained from the exchange of ideas between these disciplines.
Rapid production of a special issue of an international peer-reviewed journal is foreseen.
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