Water and energy are two fundamentals for human development. We need energy for pumping, transporting and purifying water and we need water for food production and energy generation. An increase or decrease in one will immediately affect the other.Read more
Submitted by admin on Tue,08/12/2014
What is the role played by policy, law and institutions in designing and implementing good governance for water resources?Read more
Submitted by cristina on Tue,08/12/2014
How can you analyse issues and political play involved, enter negotiations, and move towards multi-stakeholder action?Read more
Submitted by Amita RajGuru on Tue,08/12/2014
What are the challenges and benefits of governing transboundary waters equitably and sustainably?Read more
Submitted by cristina on Tue,08/12/2014
What techniques are used for the economic valuation of ecosystem services, and how are their results incorporated in policy?Read more
Submitted by cristina on Tue,08/12/2014
How do the most recent practices on payments for hydrological services link to current discourse on IWRM?Read more
Submitted by admin on Mon,08/11/2014
IWRM demonstrations use learning-by-doing to innovate and adapt water resources management actions, tools and technologies.Read more
Submitted by cristina on Mon,08/11/2014
Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) is designed to provide solutions. Practical strategies for implementing IWRM have been shown to work.Read more
Submitted by James Dalton on Fri,06/27/2014
Flooding is the most common hydrological hazard – with global economic losses from floods averaging US$3 billion a year, predicted to become US$1 trillion a year by 2050. Over the last 100 years they have also been the most fatal disasters, ruining families, communities, and at times, setting back national development and progress.
A recent study suggests that the annual cost of flooding across Europe could become €23.5 billion by 2050. At current prices this represents more than the annual GDP of 93 countries. And in reality, it’s an insurance bill. It is an astounding number given the human, financial, and technical capacity that exists across Europe. Two-thirds of these total costs are due to socio-economic growth – we have as a continent more people living in flood-prone areas, and everyone has more to lose because of higher incomes.
It’s a point echoed by Lord Smith, Chairman of the UK Environment Agency following the devastating floods in the UK this winter and spring. ‘Think about the risk that your property faces’ he said. Not an easy task if you have little choice where you live, but equally it’s a logical question. Ten years ago we bought a house in the UK, but only after my wife, who worked for the Environment Agency at the time, had checked out the online flood risk maps.
The Environment Agency (EA) has come under a lot of pressure in the UK for how it deals with protection from flooding. Critics – understandably those immediately affected, sometimes disastrously – have voiced their anger at the lack of river dredging and protection, a lack of finance available for the EA to ‘do their job’. It has also provided a political platform, with the Environment Secretary and Communities Secretary both venting steam – calling the lack of...Read more