RESULTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL HYDROLOGICAL PROGRAMME OF UNESCO ( )

Transcription

1 UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL WORLD METEOROLOGICAL SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION ORGANIZATION ICH-VIDoc. 4 Paris, 14 December 1998 ITEM: 6.1 Original: ENGLISH FIFTH JOINT UNESCONVMO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON HYDROLOGY (Geneva, 8 to 72 February 7999) RESULTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL HYDROLOGICAL PROGRAMME OF UNESCO ( ) References: 1. Detailed Plans of IHP-IV ( ) and IHP-V ( ) 2. Final Reports of the 1 lth (February 1995) 12 h (September 1996) and 13 h (June 1998) sessions of the Intergovernmental Council of the IHP 3. Final Reports of the 20th (July 1992) through the 26 h (April 1998) sessions of the Bureau of the Intergovernmental Council of the IHP Appendix: Glossary of Acronyms and Special Terms SC-99lwSJO1

2 introduction 1. The International Hydrological Programme (IHP), UNESCO s intergovernmental scientific co-operative programme in water resources, is a vehicle through which Member States can upgrade their knowledge of the water cycle and thereby increase their capacity to better manage and develop their water resources. 2. The Programme started as the International Hydrological Decade (IHD, ) and was followed by a long-term programme composed of successive phases of IHP. The IHD was mainly research oriented and IHP-I ( ) maintained much of the research orientation. However, in response to the concerns of Member States, the next phases were oriented to include practical aspects of hydrology and water resources. Hence IHP-II ( ) and IHP-III ( ) were planned under the theme Hydrology and the Scientific Bases for Rational Water Resources Management. This document reports on the latter half of IHP-IV ( ) and the initial years of IHP-V ( ). 3. Since the inception of the IHD in 1965, and later the IHP in 1975, much progress has been achieved regarding methodologies for hydrological studies and training and education in the water sciences. Although the general objectives remain valid, greater emphasis is being placed on the role of water resources management for sustainable development and the adaptation of the hydrological sciences to cope with the expected changing climate and environmental conditions. Another important objective is to integrate the developing countries into the world-wide ventures of research and training. The principal modes of execution of IHP have been working groups, symposia, workshops, publications and extra-budgetary projects, the latter especially through the UNESCO regional offices where regional hydrologists are located. 4. This document presents information on the main results of IHP since the UNESCONVMOIICSU International Conference on Hydrology, held in March 1993 in Paris. Detailed reports of IHP Intergovernmental Council sessions, relevant documents and reports of Bureau sessions are available through the IHP National Committees. The Fourth Phase ( ) of IHP (IHP-IV): Hydrology and Water Resources for Sustainable Development in a Changing Environment 5. The Fourth Phase of the IHP comprised three sub-programmes: H. Hydrological Research in a Changing Environment M. Management of Water Resources for Sustainable Development E. Education, Training and the Transfer of Knowledge and Information The three sub-programmes were broken down into five themes covering forty-four projects in a hierarchical framework. Particular emphasis continued to be given to global change, water quality, hydrological regimes and the need to give special attention to the humid tropics, arid and semi-arid zones. The need for a more holistic approach was also emphasized by undertaking activities with policy-makers and planners within the framework of integrated water resources management. Sub-programme H - Hydrological Research in a Changing Environment 6. The aim of this sub-programme was to improve knowledge of interface processes of water in the atmosphere-vegetation-soil system and to investigate how these processes 1

3 could be best described on different time and spatial scales, particularly when establishing proper couplings to climate models. 7. In order to increase the possibilities of making hydrological predictions, the study of the impact of climate variability led to the implementation of a project entitled Collection of climatic data using historical archives (ARCHISS), implemented in collaboration with WMO and ICA; a first test was made in Europe, then extended to Cuba and Mexico. It contributed to the expansion of current knowledge of past climates of the world. Other research activities were concluded by the publication of a document on The impact of climate variations on water management systems and related socio-economic systems. The following monographs were prepared in conjunction with these research programmes: - Impacts of climate change and climate variability on hydrological regimes; - Global climate changes during the Holocene and impacts on water resources; - HYDROCOAST 95 monograph which examines water related problems/hazard reduction in low-lying coastal areas, linked with the impacts of socio-economic activities related to high population densities. 8. To increase the understanding of the basic physical processes and the role snow and ice play in the hydrological cycle, several major publications were released on past and present variations of snow covers on the earth on a global and regional scale; glacier mass balance bulletins; fluctuations of glaciers 1985-I The Humid Tropics Programme developed several activities - pilot projects were launched in the Solomon Islands and in Abidjan, Cbte d lvoire to implement applied research activities and training at regional level, A humid tropics regional centre for Latin America and the Caribbean (CATHALAC) was established in Panama, and initiated research activities in the field of climate variability and its impact on hydrology and water resources management. A Regional Steering Committee for South East Asia and the Pacific was established and published a Catalogue of Rivers from South East Asia and the Pacific which provided the first comprehensive survey of 25 rivers of the region. It is foreseen that related activities will promote international data exchange as well as a collaborative research network in the region. Several popularized publications for nonprofessionals were issued highlighting water-related issues and problems of the Humid Tropics, including The disappearing tropical forest ; Small tropical islands ; Water resources of paradise lost ; Water and health ; Tropical cities: managing their Water ; Women in the humid tropics and Ground water. 10. Activities within the arid and semi-arid zones concentrated on four topics, viz: major deep aquifers, hard rock aquifers, groundwater recharge and flash floods. They were concluded by the publication of several technical documents presenting the state-of-theart of these topics. The main findings of these publications were presented and discussed at an international symposium held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, which also reviewed the Aral Sea-related hydrological problems and outlined their possible solutions. 11. The FRIEND (Flow Regimes from International Experimental and Network Data) project aims to develop knowledge of flow regimes. It was extended from Europe to Africa where two new groups were established in Western and Central Africa (FRIEND/AOC) and Southern Africa (FRIENDKA). Regional databases were developed within the Northern Europe Group (European Water Archive with data from over 5000 small catchments), in Alpine and Mediterranean Groups (the AMHY database contains data from 250 hydrological stations and 100 rainfall stations), in Southern Africa (data collected from 680 catchments) and Western and Central Africa (the BADOIE database 2

4 stores data from 522 river gauging stations and 1120 rain gauges). They provided the basis for the development of research activities on regional flow regimes, floods, low flows, rainfall-runoff, modelling and sediment transport. Results of these research activities were presented at the 2nd FRIEND Conference held in Braunschweig, Germany. Several hydrologists have been trained in the use of modern technologies for hydrological data analysis, especially in Western and Southern Africa where new software for this purpose has been introduced. Sub-Programme M - Management of Water Resources for Sustainable Development 12. IHP-IV provided a forum for scientific deliberations on techniques and approaches to water resources assessment. These are presented in the monograph on World Water Resources at the beginning of the XXlst Century, a contribution to the 5 h session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) report on Comprehensive Assessment of Freshwater Resources of the World. In addition, collaboration continued with IAH resulting in manuals and guidebooks for the mapping and assessment of groundwater resources. 13. The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in hydrological and water resources studies was introduced through several conferences and training workshops. A training manual was compiled by ITC and field projects were implemented in Kenya and Indonesia. A GIS-based water balance model was developed in co-operation with FAO. 14. Guidelines on monitoring groundwater management were published. A guidebook on the cartography of groundwater resources and their vulnerability, displaying models of maps and legends was published. In the field of surface and groundwater resources evaluation, several former IHP publications were updated. 15. In co-operation with MAB, a programme on ecotones was launched in order to improve the understanding of water/land interfaces of crucial importance to landscape evolution. Comparative studies were undertaken with respect to the limnology and hydrology of the Great African Rift Valley Lakes, resulting in several publications on lakes Victoria, Tanganyika and Malawi. Sub-Programme E - Education, Training, the Transfer of Knowledge and Public Information 16. The educational component of the programme, covering all educational levels, was designed for the requirements of developing countries, in particular. Preference was given to the training of hydrologists from countries without local training facilities and a network comprising all educational levels was developed. Hydrology was included in several areas of university education. Various disciplines were analysed and a practical system of possible combinations was developed, together with model curricula and syllabi. 17. Computer-Aided Learning (CAL) technology in hydrology was also introduced during IHP-IV. The thirty-two (32) post-graduate courses organized under the auspices of IHP continued their activities. However, due to financial difficulties some had to be postponed.

5 The Fifth Phase ( ) of IHP (IHP-V): Hydrology and Water Resources Development in a Vulnerable Environment 18. The eight Themes of IHP-V originated from three overlapping clusters. Cluster 1 contains scientific research projects of global priority: 1. Global hydrological and bio-geochemical processes 2. Eco-hydrological processes in the surficial zone 3. Groundwater resources at risk 4. Strategies for water resources management in emergency and conflicting situations. Cluster 2 recognizes the special importance of water proble,ms in various regions of priority, viz: 5. Integrated water-resources management in arid and semi-arid zones 6. Humid tropics hydrology and water management 7. Integrated urban-water management. Cluster 3 draws from the previous two clusters, and incorporates technologytransfer information, and the training components. It consists of one theme: 8. Transfer of Knowledge, Information and Technology (KIT). 19. Within Theme 1, several activities on flow regimes, climate change and variability and modelling the vertical transfer and exchange of water and energy initiated during IHP-IV are being continued. 20. A FRIEND Inter Group Co-ordination Committee (FIGCC) has been established to co-ordinate the activities of the existing groups in Europe and Africa, as well as three newly-established groups: Hindu-KushlHimalaya; Asia/Pacific and Nile Basin. The Third FRIEND Conference organized in Postojna, Slovenia, reviewed the results of the research activities implemented by the FRIEND groups from in the field of regional hydrology. A brochure on the aims and main activities of the FRIEND project has been published. 21. The hydrology-hydrochemistry component of LBA (Large-Scale Biosphere/ Atmosphere Experiment in the Amazon) was endorsed. The Second International Conference on Climate and Water, Finland was held. The analysis of long-term hydrological data sets as part of the need to separate anthropogenic effects from the impact of climate variability was highlighted. 22. In the framework of the snow and ice component of Theme 1, documents on World Glacier Monitoring and the Fluctuation of Glaciers, , were published, along with the World Atlas of Snow and Ice Resources. 23. ARCHISS continued to expand in Latin America and the Caribbean with the establishment of new pilot projects in Chile, Peru and Ecuador. The workshop devoted to Water, Environment and Society in Times of Climate Change, held in Sede Boker, Israel addressed the topic of paleoclimatic changes and their possible impacts on water resources. 4

6 24. Theme 2 enables freshwater ecology to be studied together with ecohydrology. The MAB freshwater ecotones component has been transferred to IHP. An International Symposium on Ecohydrology was held in Salzburg (May 1997) to launch a network of international pilot projects for the preparation of guidelines on ecologically-sound water resources planning and management. 25 Theme 2 also focuses on erosion and sedimentation. The international symposium: Modelling Soil Erosion, Sediment Transport and Closely Related Hydrological Processes, jointly organized with IAHS, addressed the need for greater field testing of models. Co-operation with IRTCES continues (including reservoir sedimentation). 26. Theme 3 addresses risks threatening the availability of groundwater resources. The technical bases for a groundwater contamination inventory are being prepared as well as methodologies for detecting groundwater quality problems. Regional workshops were held in Africa and the Arab Regions to instruct hydrologists on mapping groundwater vulnerability. An observatory of groundwater quality of African megacities is being set up. A technical report on the role of unsaturated zone processes for controlling groundwater quality is being prepared as well as a state-of-the-art report summarizing information collected on groundwater contamination due to urban development and agricultural practices. The conference in Changchun, China, organized by the Changchun University and sponsored by UNESCO, considered the full range of issues involved in assessing future risks to groundwater and practical solutions for controlling and possibly alleviating or finding remedies for such risks. 27. Under Theme 4, particular focus is being given to strategies for water resources management in international water systems and the technical/scientific support for negotiations. Two workshops were held: NOW: Negotiations over Water, Haifa, and Averting a Water Crisis in the Middle East: Make Water a Medium of Co-operation Rather than Conflict, UNESCO, Paris, organized jointly with Green Cross International. As a particular focus towards conflict resolution, IHP is actively involved in the creation of an International Water Centre in Valencia to explore water-related co-operation. 28. The UNESCO Aral Sea Basin Initiative was announced during the 155 h session of the Executive Board. A Scientific Advisory Board for Aral Sea Basin Problems (SABAS) was established through which IHP assists Central Asian Republics in regional water vision consultations, scenario analysis, leading to a regional workshop on Water and Peace in Central Asia. IHP participated in the international review of the environmental impact assessment and Environmental Action Plan for the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, Phase 1 b. 29. Theme 5 contributes to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD). A guidebook on Hydrological processes and a state-of-the-art report on Water resources assessment methodologies are being prepared. A workshop on the Groundwater resources of the Kalahari desert was held in Botswana and a project document to undertake an assessment of the water resources of the whole aquifer system was drawn up. UNESCO is co-operating with the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) in assessing water resources of the major deep aquifers in North Saharan Africa; this activity is being extended to South Saharan Africa. A programme devoted to the hydrology and water problems of Wadis has been launched. 30. A technical document and a popularized document on water resources management for sustainable development in arid zones are being prepared. A conference on Management of Droughts will be organized in Pretoria, South Africa in 1999, the results of which will be used as a basis for establishing national policies. Another conference 5

7 will be held in Tripoli, Libya in 1999, on Regional Aquifer Systems in Arid Zones - Managing non-renewable resources to provide guidance for the management of these aquifers which are very often shared by several countries. A comprehensive document addressing Coping with water scarcity is being prepared to provide guidance to water managers, 31. Following the completion of the decade-long co-operative research on World Water Resources at the beginning of the 21 Century, an international conference in Paris on Water: a looming crisis? was held. The conference took stock of the present knowledge of water resources of the world and identified water problems to be solved in the next century. 32. Theme 6 continues many activities initiated under IHP-IV and includes several additional developments. The ground work for the establishment of the Regional Humid Tropics Hydrology and Water Resources Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia has been laid. CATHALAC will host the Second International Colloquium on Hydrology and Water Management in the Humid Tropics in A forest hydrology project is underway in the Western Ghats, India, in collaboration with the Karnataka Forest Department and the National Institute of Hydrology. In South East Asia, a study has been conducted on the status and opportunities of water management in the Mekong Delta. Integrated land and water management in the humid tropics, with emphasis on forests, will be the subject of a symposium in Kuala Lumpur, The management of groundwater resources in the Lake Chad Basin is being studied. 33. Theme 7 pursues various aspects of urban water management. Non-structural urban flood control measures were examined at an international symposium at Sao Paulo. Relevant guidelines are being prepared. The Paris Statement, underlining pressing urban issues and calling for fresh approaches was issued at the International Symposium on Water, the City and Urban Planning, Paris, After.discussions with IHP, the Stockholm Water Symposium adopted, for the 1999 event, the theme Urban stability through integrated water-related management. 34. Regional centres of IRTCUD for the humid tropics in Sao Paulo, Brazil and for cold climate in Oslo, Norway were activated; there are on-going plans for an arid climate centre in the Arab Region. The status of modelling received close attention at the International Conference on Developments in Urban Drainage Modelling, London, Comprehensive overviews of urban drainage modelling in specific climates are under preparation. 35. A UNESCO transdisciplinary initiative on urban water management in coastal regions with a strong cultural component is underway. The ancient Moroccan town of Essaouira is a pilot project and collaboration has started regarding Alexandria, Egypt, in co-operation with CSI. 36. Theme 8 cuts across all the IHP-V projects. A DWAF/UNESCONVMO mission on the Assessment of I the Education and Training Needs of the Water Resources Management Services of the Republic of South Africa was undertaken. Educational material for Computer-Aided Learning and educational CD-ROMs are being developed. 37. IHP-V has continued concentrating on the application of GIS in water resources management and hydrology. The 2 d HYDROGIS Conference was held in Vienna, Austria. The development of a GIS application to Water Resources and the FAO/UNESCO Water Balance of Africa project focusing on the Niger River basin was concluded.

8 38. Awareness raising is an IHP task of increasing importance. Besides the involvement and advisory functions in the development of public information and nonformal educational material, television programmes, videos and CD-ROMs, UNESCO hosts and is actively involved in the Long Term Vision for Water, Life and Environment Project launched in 1998 by the World Water Council. A popularized version of the UNESCO/W/MO study on the availability of water resources for the Comprehensive Freshwater Assessment of the World was published for the 1998 World Water Day, where two agencies took the lead within the UN system. 39. The special project on Women and Water Resources Supply and Use: Sub- Saharan Africa was implemented in the Sub-Saharan region. The objectives of this project were to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of women in rural and urban areas and to improved water resources management in Sub-Saharan Africa. Organizational matters National Committees 40. At national level, the IHP is co-ordinated and executed by National Committees. The UNESCO Regional Offices are responsible for regronal implementation. 122 IHP National Committees and 38 Focal Points have been set up. The composition of the National Committee differs from country to country. The IHP Council recommends that the composition include public agencies in hydrology and water resources, private individuals, relevant university faculties and departments, research institutes, consulting agencies, professional and learned societies. The National Committees play a critical role in the implementation of the IHP. The thirteenth session of the IHP Intergovernmental Council started a discussion on the mandate, functioning and organization of National Committees for IHP. Intergovernmental Council of IHP 41. The Intergovernmental Council is a subsidiary organ of the UNESCO General Conference with overall governing responsibility for planning, defining priorities and supervising the execution of the IHP. The Council is composed of 36 Member States of UNESCO elected by the General Conference of UNESCO at its ordinary sessions held every two years. Equitable geographical distribution and appropriate rotation of the representatives of the Member States are ensured. The term of office of members of the Council is four years, immediately eligible for re-election. To arrive at some continuity only half the Council members are elected each second year for the four-year period, so that in each biennium half are newcomers and the other half have already acquired experience. The Bureau of the Intergovernmental Council of the IHP co-ordinates the work of the Council between sessions. It is composed of the Chairperson, and five Vice- Chairpersons of the Council. 42. Discussions on changing the governing mechanism of IHP commenced at the tenth session of the IHP Intergovernmental Council in In 1993 the functioning of the governing mechanism of the IHP was assessed by an External Evaluation Committee which concluded that at present, the majority of the Member States are excluded from steering the Programme at any one time. The Committee suggested the introduction of a two-level governing mechanism. Two options were later proposed by the Council and National Committees were requested to indicate their choice of option.

9 Option 1. Option 2. A continuation of a top-down fully centralized governance limited to 36 Member States; A two-level bottom-up governance in a hierarchic relationship through Regional Intergovernmental Councils, as subsidiary bodies to the IHP Governing Council by involving all Member States. An ad-hoc Governance Committee was established by the 13 h session of the Council to further study the matter and prepare a proposal for consideration by its next session in year UNESCO provides the Secretariat for the IHP Intergovernmental Council. There are six professional staff at Headquarters and six Regional Hydrologists in various UNESCO offices (Cairo, Montevideo, Jakarta, Nairobi, Venice, New Delhi). Recruitment of a Regional Hydrologist in Western Africa (Dakar) has been approved. The work of the Secretariat is supported by several Associate Experts located at regional offices. In January 1998, the Director General of UNESCO issued a policy statement reinforcing water-related activities at UNESCO. Financing 44. The Regular Budget (core funding) assigned by the bi-annual General Conference of UNESCO to the water programme for the last four biennia has remained essentially constant, taking into account the inflation rate, and shows a growing tendency towards decentralization to the field offices. Direct programme costs, not including staff costs, were as follows: Biennium Regular Budaet (US Dollars) Decentralization rate 1992-l 993 2,434,OOO 34.4 % 1994-l 995 2,589, % ,795,ooo 39.7 % I 998-i 999 2,875, % The Regular Budget only partially covers the total cost of the programme, as it is meant to have a catalytic effect; input from Member States and other co-operating partners, mainly as in-kind contribution, is to make up the major part as indicated in the IHP-V Plan adopted by the Member States. The 12th session of the IHP Council created the Finance Committee of the IHP to assess the financial state and needs of the programme and to undertake initiatives to secure adequate funding. It has issued recommendations on ensuring the stability of IHP s budget, formulated a strategy to generate larger external funding, has called for enhanced contribution from Member States, recommended criteria for setting priorities in the execution of the programme and proposed incorporating a financial strategy in the planning of IHP-VI. 45. Extra-budgetary resources are commonly used in UNESCO for a number of activities. Extra-budgetary funding for IHP-related activities may be meaningful complements to the Regular Budget, particularly in regional offices. This funding is used for specific projects as agreed by the beneficiary and the donor, thus the funds normally cannot be used directly for programme execution, with exceptions such as when bilateral donors finance associate experts. The UNDP funding which was substantial some years ago has declined considerably, while the use of Funds-in-Trust from bilateral donors has been rising. Access to extra-budgetary funds is becoming more limited due to the growing competition for them and to the donor-defined priority issues, emphasizing social issues. 8

10 Publication programme of IHP 46. The publication policy of IHP has been renewed. The two regular series ( Technical Documents in Hydrology and Studies and Reports in Hydrology ) have been given a more attractive appearance. The publications included: l Studies and Reports in Hydrology (SRH): seven volumes; l Technical Documents in Hydrology (TDH): 32 publications and a new cover; l IHP Humid Tropics Programme Popularized Documents: seven publications; l Non-serial publications: 21 volumes; l Thirty publications and one video tape released by the Regional Field Offices in Montevideo, Nairobi and Jakarta. 47. The International Hydrology Series (IHS), a hard-cover series, has been launched as a joint undertaking of UNESCO and the Cambridge University Press. The first of the series, Hydrology and Water Management in the Humid Tropics was released in Additional titles published are: New Uncertainty Concepts in Hydrology and Water Resources ; Space and Time Variability and Interdependencies in Hydrological Processes ; GroundwatetYSurface Water Ecotones: Biological and Hydrological Interactions and Management Options ; and Subsurface Flow and Transport: A Stochastic Approach. 46. Several publications have been released in co-operation with the IAHS and IAH. A system of flyers announcing new releases, has been introduced. The IHP Newsletter has been redesigned as Waterway and is published in English, French, Chinese, Russian, Spanish and Arabic. A web-site ( has been established and is continuously updated, with a growing number of hyperlinks. Trends 49. In the development of its various phases, IHP has gone through a profound transformation from a single discipline to a multi-disciplinary programme. Recently, with the increased presence of the social science component, IHP has become a truly interdisciplinary programme, capitalizing on the recognition that the solution of the world water problems is not just a technical issue. The solution lies at the crossroads of Education, Science and Culture, the pillars of UNESCO. The next phase of IHP, covering the period , is therefore planned to be devoted to Water Interactions: Systems at Risk. See Document 7 of this Conference. 9

11 GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS AND SPECIAL TERMS AMHY AOC ARCHISS BADOIE CAL CATHALAC CCD CSD CSI DWAF FA0 FIGCC FRIEND GIS IAH IAHS ICA ICSU IHP IHD IHS IRTCES IRTCUD ITC LBA MAB oss SABAS SRH TDH UNESCO WMO FRIEND Group for the Alpine and Mediterranean Region FRIEND Group for Western and Central Africa Archives Historical Survey FRIEND Inter-State Data Base, Western and Central Africa Computer Aided Learning Water Centre of the Humid Tropics for Latin America and the Caribbean UN Convention to Combat Desertification UN Commission on Sustainable Development Environment and Development in Coastal Regions and in Small Islands (an inter-programme initiative of UNESCO) Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Government of South Africa Food and Agriculture Organization FRIEND Inter Group Co-ordination Committee Flow Regimes from International Experimental and Network Data Geographic Information Systems International Association of Hydrogeologists International Association of Hydrological Sciences International Council of Archives International Council of Scientific Unions International Hydrological Programme (of UNESCO) International Hydrological Decade (of UNESCO) International Hydrology Series International Research and Training Center on Erosion and Sedimentation International Research and Training Centre on Urban Drainage International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences Large-Scale Biosphere/ Atmosphere Experiment in the Amazon Programme on Man and the Biosphere (of UNESCO) Sahara and Sahel Observatory Scientific Advisory Board for Aral Sea Basin Problems Studies and Reports in Hydrology Technical Documents in Hydrology United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Meteorological Organization 10