ASSESSMENT OF THE STATE OF HYDROLOGICAL SERVICES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND PROPOSALS FOR IMPROVEMENT

Transcription

1 ASSESSMENT OF THE STATE OF HYDROLOGICAL SERVICES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND PROPOSALS FOR IMPROVEMENT Vladimir Tsirkunov (GFDRR) Bruce Stewart (Consultant) The World Bank Group Rome, Italy, 7-8 December 2016

2 CONTEXT Recognizing the importance of Hydrological information and services to the sustainable management of our water resources and disaster mitigation with respect to floods and droughts o Getting even more important in a changing world and with global priorities such as the SDGs, adaptation to climate change and strengthening resilience Acknowledging the importance of NHSs as main source of national hydrological information and services

3 MOTIVATION WMO and the World Bank (GFDRR and WPP), concerned that: The roles and responsibilities of NHSs are not widely recognized by governments and the development community Resources being put into the provision of hydrological services are inadequate and sometimes decreasing Current international investments and technical assistance programs are not being fully effective Initiated the Assessment of state of hydrological services and development of recommendations for improvement

4 PHASE 1 RAPID ASSESSMENT (I) A rapid global assessment based on available literature, including, inter alia, the Hydrological Information Referral Service (INFOHYDRO) Confirmed that reliable information on the status of hydrological services is not available at a global level Identified the following issues with respect to hydrological information and services systems: o Low visibility and recognition by national authorities; o Lack of financial resources for operation and maintenance activities; o Decline of monitoring systems, obsolescence of equipment; o Lack of qualified staff; o Defective communication and data management system; and o An inability for NHSs to meet current user demands

5 OBSERVATION SYSTEMS LAO, ETHIOPIA, SRI LANKA, NEPAL

6 PHASE 1 RAPID ASSESSMENT (II) The rapid assessment recommended: The establishment National Hydrological Data Users Groups (NHDUG) to assist and support NHSs in establishing their roles and responsibilities in national development planning, and The implementation of a number of targeted case studies to review the status of hydrological information and services systems in developing countries. The following have been selected: o Cameroon, Madagascar, Senegal, St. Lucia, Tanzania and Uruguay

7 GOVERNMENT RECOGNITION 75% of the 137 countries which participated in a WMO survey capacity assessment of NHSs and NMSs in support of Disaster Reduction and Recovery (DRR) declared that they are lacking visibility and recognition. For Developing Countries, Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) this was 80%. Even in Europe, 83% of the responses indicated this problem.

8 REVIEW OF STATUS OF HYDROLOGICAL SERVICES (Preliminary) 58 studies covering 43 countries: 70% of countries had some level of knowledge of user requirements 60% of countries report a decline in their water monitoring networks (agrees with 70% of professionals being concerned that hydrological data was lacking in their countries (Phase 1)) 70% of countries need significant improvements in their data management capabilities Very few countries provide a full range of hydrological services User satisfaction in services was below 50% in most cases

9 DECLINING NETWORKS Number of hydrological stations in Cameron, Madagascar, Senegal ( ) Number of hydrological stations in Angola ( ), FMI report Cameroon Madagascar Senegal

10 NHS s BUDGETS (preliminary data) Country GDP USD (mln) NHS Budget USD (mln) % of GDP Lao 7, % Madagascar 9, % Senegal 15, % Cameroon 29, % Tanzania 44, % Sri Lanka 82, % Uruguay 53, % New Zealand 173, % Philippines 291, % Average %

11 BENEFITS OF HYDROLOGICAL SERVICES Cost benefit ratios of between 1.5 and 7 have been found for flood forecasting and warning services Cost benefit ratios of 3 to 20 have been determined for water resources projects, such as water supply systems and irrigation systems For design of small stream crossings a cost benefit ratio of 4 was calculated On average, a cost benefit ratio of 9 has been determined for the use of streamflow data, based on the benefits of the services provided by these data

12 PHASE 2. CASE STUDIES (in progress) Confirmed main findings of rapid assessment Introduced a concept of the National Hydrological Services User Group Developed National Action Plans for improvement of hydrological services Evaluated socio-economic benefits of NHSs modernization (all positive)

13 CURRENT INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENTS HYCOS initiatives see increased networks, but after a while limited ongoing resources mean that stations are not operating Sector specific projects (WRM, DRM, irrigation, etc.) requiring better hydrological information, while improving a specific capability in some institutions or river basins are often unsustainable due to lack of support for NHSs, inadequate resourcing and staffing, different systems of data collection, lack of integration, etc. Poverty trap : lack of visible benefits lack of public support - a downward spiral

14 DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS PROGRAMS IGAD HYCOS - SUDAN WORLD BANK NMHS MODERNIZATION - VIETNAM MEKONG HYCOS + JICA - LAO

15 PHASE 3. SUMMARY ASSESSMENT AND RECOMMENDATIONS Phase 3 is under way and initial recommendations will be presented tomorrow Are we correct in our current level of assessment? Is there a need for more thorough assessment or is the overall situation clear? Are there cases of successful NHSs which can be studied and presented for broader dissemination?

16 Thank You