EGS XXV General Assembly, Nice, France, April 2000

HSB1.02 Water resources assessment: Valuation of water and dealing with water scarcity

Event Information

It is becoming exceedingly apparent that the access to adequate volumes of freshwater resources constitutes an important prerequisite for socio-economic development. At the same time water quality is rapidly deteriorated, especially in urban areas, as a result of mismanagement. Furthermore, in many arid and semi-arid regions of the world, water scarcity is a major challenge for both agricultural production and in the urban, industrial and domestic sectors, in the light of rapid population growth. It is, for example, not clear at present how water needs to achieve food security and to cover other societal needs are to be met for the children born in the first century of the next millenium in tropical developing countries, future home of 90 % of the newly born. This session will focus on strategies for improved management of water resources in drought prone areas. Papers are welcome that target system improvements, technical solutions as well as decision support tools and socio-economic and legal approaches to valuation of water resources.

Preliminary List of Solicited Speakers

Co-Sponsorship

IWMI