Summary

News

   - UNESCO-IHP mourns the loss of Professor Iwao Kobori
   - UNESCO organizes "International Workshop on Education for Managing Hydrological Extremes and Related Geo-Hazards"
   - Towards the concerted management of transboundary aquifer systems: a methodological guide
   - Experts working group meeting: "Mainstreaming cultural diversity within Integrated Water Resources Management in Africa" held in Nairobi, Kenya, 15-18 November

Events

UNESCO Water Family (*)
   - International Conference on Arid and Semi Arid Development through Water Augmentation (ASADWA)
   - The Future of Urban Water: Solutions for Livable and Resilient Cities
   - UNESCO-IHE Regular Short Course: Watershed and River Basin Management
   - UNESCO-IHE Regular Short Course: World History of Water Management

Featured International Events
   - 24th ICID European Regional Conference: GroundWater 2011
   - 25th ICID European Regional Conference: Deltas in Europe - Integrated water management for multiple land use in flat coastal areas

Publications

   - Advanced Simulation and Modelling for Urban Groundwater Management – UGROW – Urban Water series – UNESCO-IHP

Did you know?

Facts and figures about water and financing

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News

UNESCO-IHP mourns the loss of Professor Iwao Kobori

Professor Iwao Kobori, United Nations University (UNU) Senior Programme Advisor, one of Japan’s leading academics for drylands, an eminent pioneer and tremendously respected personality in water history research, passed away on 26 November 2010 at the age of 86. Former Professor at the Universities of Michigan State, USA and Meiji, Japan, Iwao Kobori was an unfaltering supporter of UNESCO-IHP and, in particular, of its endeavours in water history that he helped to establish as part of the programme of actions. He was also a founding member of the International Water History Association (IWHA). Among the large-scale initiatives Professor Kobori brought to life was the Sustainable Management of Marginal Drylands (SUMAMAD) Project, in collaboration with the UNESCO MAB-Programme.

Professor Kobori drew global attention to the potential for sustainable groundwater use through elaborate traditional water management techniques like qanats. His profound understanding of water-society interactions in arid and semi-arid regions resulted form a combination of his superb academic scholarship and a passion for languages, encountering and understanding people during his many trips to the field. Professor Kobori never ceased to travel nor to share his knowledge and insights through international cooperation. His last mission, in October 2010, led him to the International Centre for Historic Hydraulic Structures under the auspices of UNESCO in Yazd, Iran, where he took part in the meeting of the Board of Governors. The Algerian television devoted a documentary to his yearly travel to the arid south of the country, titled "Le japonais d’In Belbel". He passed away shortly before another mission that was scheduled to take him to Egypt.

Many international scholars and experts in the field of water and dryland consider him as an intellectual and spiritual father figure. His enthusiasm and wisdom, discrete authority and fine humor made him a most appreciated mentor, peer and counsellor. He will be sadly missed but fondly remembered as the exemplary man he was.

UNESCO organizes "International Workshop on Education for Managing Hydrological Extremes and Related Geo-Hazards"

Hydrological extremes (floods and droughts) and related geo-hazards are of growing concern for global, regional and national stakeholders. It is therefore important to build capacities at all levels to understand, predict and manage potential impacts of land-use, population, climate change and increased frequency of related geo-hazards such as landslides on regional and global freshwater resources. Recent floods in Pakistan have also highlighted the need to strengthen national, provincial and local capacities to manage hydrological extremes and related geo-hazards through dedicated education and training programs. Understanding these needs, UNESCO is organizing an international workshop on the role of education for managing hydrological extremes and related geo-hazards in Pakistan from 24-26 January 2011. This workshop will bring together strategic strengths from UNESCO institutes and centres such as UNESCO-IHE and the International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM) along with many international experts from the UNESCO-IHP. The workshop will be held at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Pakistan and will be attended by key stakeholders from all provinces in Pakistan.

Objectives of the Workshop:

1. To identify examples of best practices of water education for managing hydrological extremes at all educational levels and how these can be used to strengthen education systems in Pakistan and the South Asia region.
2. To analyze examples of best practices to identify barriers and opportunities.
3. To develop a work plan to enable effective water education in Pakistan and South Asia at all educational levels.

Areas of water education to be explored in the Workshop:

1. Training high-level policy stakeholders in flood and drought management. Specialized training for politicians, policy makers and high-level managers in hydrological and related geo-hazards risk management to deal with uncertainty.
2. Advanced tertiary level education and research. Assessment of capacity of existing institutes in water education and specialized education and training of flood forecasting specialists at the tertiary level.
3. Training mid-level managers and technicians. Training of mid-level technicians and managers of water departments and updating the curricula of existing institutes in Pakistan.
4. Community education and capacity building. Community and school education in managing geo-hazards.

For further information: Professor Dr Shahbaz Khan, Chief, Water and Sustainable Development Section, UNESCO Division of Water Sciences.

Towards the concerted management of transboundary aquifer systems: a methodological guide

In the framework of its ISARM project, UNESCO-IHP participated in close partnership with the French Water Academy, the International Office for Water and the French Geological Survey (BRGM) in the preparation of a methodological study, launched by the French Development Agency (AFD) in order to efficiently contribute to take up the challenges of the sustainable management of transboundary aquifers. The aim of this study is to develop an operational guidebook, which consists of recommendations targeted to political decision-makers and managers, and includes case studies selected on several continents.

The methodological guide first recalls the main issues at stake regarding transboundary aquifers and the need for a more comprehensive approach based on IWRM principles (Part I). It then describes a range of technical, legal, organizational, economic, training and cooperation tools that can help improve the knowledge and management of these precious resources (Part II). Finally, it proposes a progressive, multi-pronged approach for implementing the concerted, equitable and sustainable management of transboundary aquifer systems. It also takes a look at the potential mechanisms for creating and sustainably operating an appropriate institutional structure to manage these shared groundwater resources (Part III).

The guidebook is the third part of more global study, and is preceded by important preparatory work:

• The first part is about a preliminary assessment and general analysis including the identification of current dynamics at the legal, institutional and technical levels, the identification of major challenges and an analysis of experiences on some transboundary aquifer systems (North Western Sahara, Iullemeden, Guarani, Nubian sandstone, Upper Rhine, Carboniferous, Genevese and Stampriet aquifer systems)
• The second part includes detailed case studies of seven transboundary aquifer systems representing important challenges (aquifer systems of the Mekong River basin, coastal aquifers Ghana-Togo-Benin, Lake Chad basin, Senegal-Mauritania aquifer system, Taouudeni-Tanezrouft, Iuellemeden, Mountain and Coastal aquifers between Palestinian Territories and Israel);

These two parts will soon be available.

The methodological guide | Further information

Experts working group meeting: "Mainstreaming cultural diversity in Integrated Water Resources Management in Africa" held in Nairobi, Kenya, 15-18 November

On 15-18 November 2010, a meeting of experts working group titled "Mainstreaming cultural diversity in Integrated Water Resources Management in Sub-Saharan Africa" was held in Nairobi, Kenya. Fifteen participants from ten countries in the sub-Saharan Africa attended the meeting, which included representatives of the UNESCO National Commission (Kenya), Ministry of Water and Irrigation (Kenya), the four sub-regional Global Water Partnership offices, different networks on IWRM such as WaterNet, WaNet and regional cultural centres such as Ecole du Patrimoine Africain (EPA) and Centre for Heritage Development in Africa (CHDA), as well as universities.

The members of the working group discussed how best to mainstream cultural diversity in IWRM in Africa and produced a draft policy brief for the region, which will be further refined. The draft policy brief will then be sent to national water partnerships and national IHP committees for review, and will be launched at the World Water Day in 2011. The policy brief is expected to go through further review, involving a wider range of stakeholders, including AMCOW and the REC Water Units, and will be put into implementation through venues such as a community of practice (CoP) and a database on water and cultural diversity, for the Africa region.

For more information, contact the UNESCO Nairobi Office

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Events

UNESCO Water Family (*)

International Conference on Arid and Semi Arid Development through Water Augmentation (ASADWA)
13-17 December 2010: Valparaiso, Chile

The Future of Urban Water: Solutions for Livable and Resilient Cities
24-26 January 2011: UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France

UNESCO-IHE Regular Short Course: Watershed and River Basin Management
4-22 July 2011: Delft, The Netherlands

UNESCO-IHE Regular Short Course: World History of Water Management
12-16 September 2011: Delft, The Netherlands

Featured International Events

24th ICID European Regional Conference: GroundWater 2011
14-16 March 2011: Orléans, France

25th ICID European Regional Conference: Deltas in Europe - Integrated water management for multiple land use in flat coastal areas
16-20 May 2011: Groningen, The Netherlands

Access a complete list of water events around the world

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Publications

Advanced Simulation and Modelling for Urban Groundwater Management – UGROW

Edited by Dubravka Pokrajac and Ken Howard - Urban Water series – UNESCO-IHP

Following from the Sixth Phase of UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programme (2002-2007), the Urban Water Series - UNESCO-IHP addresses fundamental issues related to the role of water in cities and the effects of urbanization on the hydrological cycle and water resources. Focusing on the development of integrated approaches to sustainable urban water management, the Series should inform the work of urban water management practitioners, policy-makers and educators throughout the world.

Advanced Simulation and Modelling for Urban Groundwater Management – UGROW Groundwater plays a vital role in the urban water cycle but is frequently ignored. The assessment and evaluation of urban water systems rarely consider the contribution of groundwater to the urban water budget, and available decision-support tools for integrated urban water management often fail to include aquifer storage and the strong two-way interaction that commonly occurs between groundwater and surface water and other urban water system components.

Advanced Simulation and Modelling for Urban Groundwater Management – UGROW presents the result of a project of UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programme on the topic. The book presents UGROW—a complete and fully integrated Modelling package—for simulating urban water systems. As a decision-support tool for urban water management, it focuses on urban groundwater, but all other key urban water system elements are fully represented and seamlessly linked. The theory behind UGROW is thoroughly described in the book, with three case studies illustrating how UGROW can be applied in practice. A CD-ROM containing a fully functional version of UGROW is included in the book.

Purchase the book

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Did you know...? Facts and figures about water and financing

• In the United States bringing water supply and sewerage infrastructure up to current standards will cost more than $1 trillion over the next 20 years, with hundreds of billions more required for dams, dikes and waterway maintenance.
• The World Business Council for Sustainable Development estimates that the total costs of replacing ageing water supply and sanitation infrastructure in industrial countries may be as high as $200 billion a year.
• In most urban public water systems charges often barely cover the recurrent costs of operation and maintenance, leaving little or no funds to recover the capital costs of modernization and expansion. A survey of such systems in 132 cities in high-, middle and low-income countries found that 39% did not recover even their operation and maintenance costs (true of 100% of cities in South-East Asia and the Maghreb).
• Moreover, water infrastructure deteriorates over time. Leakage (loss) rates of 50% are not uncommon in urban distribution systems.
• In rural areas neglect of operation and maintenance budgets and cost recovery contribute to widespread non-functionality. A recent survey of almost 7,000 rural water schemes in Ethiopia found that 30%-40% were non-functional. A shortage of finance for wages, fuel, materials and spare parts was a common factor.
• If estimates of current costs are correct, resources in the sanitation sector would have to be almost doubled to meet the 2015 target (although estimates of cur­rent spending probably underestimate the contributions by households to their own sanitation services).
• The World Health Organization estimates the total annual cost of meeting the 2015 Millennium Development Goal target for sanitation at just over $9.5 billion.
• If the full cost of tertiary wastewater treatment for waste streams in urban areas is added, the total rises to $100 billion, the current value of total annual official development assistance.

The section "Did You Know…?" is taken from the 3rd World Water Development Report "Water in a Changing World".

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UNESCO's Water Family consists of the following:

- International Hydrological Programme
- World Water Assessment Programme
- UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education
- Water-related Institutes and Centres under the Auspices of UNESCO
- UNESCO Water-related Chairs

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