Background

The eight themes of IHP-V originated from three overlapping clusters :

Cluster 1 contains scientific research projects of global priority :
   - Global hydrological and bio-geochemical processes (Theme 1)
   - Eco-hydrological processes in the surficial zone (Theme 2)
   - Groundwater resources at risk (Theme 3)
   - Strategies for water resources management in emergency and conflicting situations (Theme 4)

Cluster 2 recognizes the special importance of water problems in various regions of priority, viz. :
   - Integrated water resources management in arid and semi-arid zones (Theme 5)
   - Humid tropics hydrology and water management (Theme 6)
   - Integrated urban water management (Theme 7)

Cluster 3 draws from the previous two clusters, and incorporates technology transfer information and the training components. It consists of one theme :
   - Transfer of Knowledge, Information and Technology- KIT (Theme 8)

Global hydrological and bio-geochemical processes (Theme 1)

Within this theme, 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.

Flow Regimes from International Experimental and Network Data (FRIEND) :

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-Kush/Himalaya
   - Asia/Pacific
   - Nile Basin

The 3rd FRIEND Conference, organized in Postojna, Slovenia (October 1997) reviewed the results of the research activities implemented by the FRIEND groups from 1994-1997 in the field of regional hydrology. [More about the proceedings of the conference]
A brochure on the aims and main activities of the FRIEND project has been published.

Atmosphere and climate :

The hydrology-hydrochemistry component of the Large-Scale Biosphere/Atmosphere Experiment in the Amazon (LBA) was endorsed.

The 2nd International Conference on climate and water was held in Espoo, Finland (August 1998). 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.

In the framework of the snow and ice component of Theme 1 (Global hydrological and bio-geochemical processes), documents on World glacier monitoring and the fluctuations of glaciers, 1990-1995, were published, along with the World Atlas of snow and ice resources.

ARCHISS (Archival Climate History Survey) 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. [More about the contributions from the workshop]

Eco-hydrological processes in the surficial zone (Theme 2)

Ecohydrology :

This theme enables freshwater ecology to be studied together with ecohydrology. The MAB (Man and the Biosphere Programme) freshwater ecotones component has been transferred to IHP. The International Symposium on Ecohydrology was held in Salzburg, Austria (May 1997) to launch a network of international pilot projects for the preparation of guidelines on ecologically sound water resources planning and management.

Erosion and sedimentation :

The theme also focuses on erosion and sedimentation. The international symposium Modelling soil erosion, sediment transport and closely-related hydrological processes (Vienna, July 1998), jointly organized with IAHS (International Association of Hydrological Sciences), addressed the need for greater field testing of models. Co-operation with IRTCES (International Research and Training Center on Erosion and Sedimentation) continues (including reservoir sedimentation).

Groundwater resources at risks (Theme 3)

This theme addresses risks threatening the availability of groundwater resources.

Quality and contamination :

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 region 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 on "Future groundwater resources at risk", organized by the Changchun University (China, July 1998) 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.

Strategies for water resources management in emergency and conflict situations (Theme 4)

Under this theme, 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)
   - "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.

A project entitled PCCP (From Potential Conflict to Co-operation Potential) grew from these activities. It has been designed with the overall objective of helping parties involved in potential water conflict to negotiate their way towards co-operation.

Aral Sea Basin :

The UNESCO Aral Sea Basin Initiative was announced during the 155th session of the Executive Board (1998). A Scientific Advisory Board for Aral Sea Basin Problems (SABAS) was established through which IHP assists Central Asian Republics in regional water vision consultations and scenario analysis, leading to a regional workshop on Water and Peace in Central Asia. [More about the Aral Sea Initiative]
IHP participated in the international review of the environmental impact assessment and Environmental Action Plan for the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, Phase 1b.

Integrated water resources management in arid and semi-arid zones (Theme 5)

This theme 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.

Groundwater, aquifers and wadis :

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.

Management and sustainable development :

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" was organized in Pretoria, South Africa (1999), the results of which will be used as a basis for establishing national policies. [More about the proceedings of the conference]
Another conference was held in Tripoli, Libya (1999) on "Regional aquifer systems in arid zones - managing non-renewable resources" which aimed to provide guidance for the management of these aquifers, which are very often shared by several countries. A comprehensive document addressing the issue "Coping with water scarcity" is being prepared to provide guidance to water managers.

Following the completion of the decade-long co-operative research on World Water Resources at the Beginning of the 21st Century", an international conference on "Water: a looming crisis?" was held in Paris (1998). 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. [Proceedings of the conference]
Major outcome of the conference and recommendations has also been published under the title Summary and Recommendations of the International Conference on World Water Resources at the Beginning of the 21st Century.

Humid tropics hydrology and water management (Theme 6)

This theme continues many activities initiated under IHP-IV and includes several additional developments.

Humid tropics centers :

The Regional Humid Tropics Hydrology and Water Resources Center has been established in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to manage and coordinate related activities falls under this theme for Southeast Asia and the Pacific region. The Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean (CATHALAC) hosted the 2nd International Colloquium on Hydrology and Water Management in the Humid Tropics in 1999.

Water management :

A forest hydrology project is underway in the Western Ghats, India, in collaboration with the Karnataka Forest Development and the National Institute of Hydrology (India).
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, was the subject of a symposium in Kuala Lumpur (2000).
The management of groundwater resources in the Lake Chad Basin is being studied.

Integrated urban water management (Theme 7)

This theme pursues various aspects of urban water management.

Pressing urban issues :

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, held in Paris (1997).

Regional centers :

Regional centers of IRTCUD (International Research and Training Centre on Urban Drainage) for the humid tropics in Sao Paulo, Brazil and for cold climates in Oslo, Norway were activated; there are ongoing plans for an arid climate center in the Arab region.

Urban drainage modelling :

The status of modelling received closed attention at the International Conference on developments in urban drainage modelling, held in London in 1998.
A three-volume series on Urban drainage in specific climate has been prepared with IRTCUD (Centro de Investigación y Formación Internacional sobre Drenaje Urbano). It addresses urban drainage aspects in three different climates :
   - Urban drainage in humid tropics, vol.I
   - Urban drainage in cold climates, vol.II
   - Urban drainage in arid and semi-arid climates, vol.III (not published yet)

Essaouira project :

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 (Environment and development in coastal regions and in small islands). [More about this project ]

Transfer of Knowledge, Information and Technology (KIT) (Theme 8)

This theme cuts across all the IHP-V projects.

Project in South Africa :

A joint DWAF (Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, South Africa) / UNESCO / WMO mission on the "Assessment of 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 (CAL) as well as educational CD-ROMs is being developed.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) :

IHP-V has continued concentrating on the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in water resources management and hydrology. The 2nd 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 were concluded.

Awareness raising :

Awareness raising is an IHP task of increasing importance. Besides the involvement and advisory functions in the development of public information and non-formal educational material, television programmes, videos and CD-ROMs, UNESCO hosts and is actively involved in the Long Term Vision for Water, Life and Environment launched in 1998 by the World Water Council. A popularized version of the UNESCO/WMO study on the availability of water resources for the Comprehensive Assessment of the Freshwater Resources of the World was published for the 1998 World Water Day, for which the two agencies took the lead within the UN system.

Women and water resources :

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 improve water resources management in Sub-Saharan Africa.