Summary
News
- UNESCO seeks Director and Secretary of the International Hydrological Programme (IHP)
- Launch of new GEF project on "Groundwater Governance"
- Announcement and Call for Papers: The IHP Symposium on Extreme Events "Meteorological, Hydrological and Tsunami Disasters: Social Adaptation and Future" (EXTREME2011)
- MedPartnership expert meeting in Madrid
- ISI Steering Committee member Prof. Zhao-Yin Wang receives ASCE’s Hans Albert Einstein Award
Events
UNESCO Water Family (*)
- Short Course on "Modeling of River Migration at Multiple Scales: A GIS-based toolbox for river restoration"
- 7th IAHR Symposium on River, Coastal and Estuarine Morphodynamics (RCEM 2011)
Featured International Events
- EcoHCC'11: International Conference on Ecohydrology and Climate Change
- WaterMicro 2011: 16th International Symposium on Health-Related Water Microbiology
- International Conference on Groundwater: Our Source of Security in an Uncertain Future
Did you know?
Facts and figures about pollution and degradation of water quality
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News
UNESCO seeks Director and Secretary of the International Hydrological Programme (IHP)
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Under the authority and supervision of the Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences (ADG/SC), the incumbent shall be responsible for leading and managing the staff of the Division of Water Sciences (SC/HYD) in order to ensure the smooth planning, management and implementation of the freshwater programmes of UNESCO, as well as serve as Secretary of the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) and provide support to the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP).
Closing date 4 September 2011.
Full announcement | To apply
Launch of new GEF project on "Groundwater Governance"
The UNESCO International Hydrological Programme (IHP) together with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) has initiated a new Project on "Groundwater Governance" financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
The overall project objective is to increase the awareness on the paramount importance of a sound management of our groundwater resources in preventing and reversing the global water crisis. The project will develop a global "Framework of Action" (FA), consisting of a menu of best practices for the sustainable management of groundwater resources.
A fundamental component of the project process consists in a series of Regional Consultations that will aim to: 1) acquire first-hand knowledge of regional issues from local groundwater experts; 2) raise awareness and promote the global groundwater agenda; 3) build consensus on the concept of "groundwater governance", and foster cooperation amongst cross-sectoral stakeholders, decision-makers and specialists. These regional consultative workshops will take place in different regions of the globe and will make use of the existing networks of the IHP National Committees and the other partners.
This project is designed to serve member states and, though their best practices, jointly understand the complex nexus between science and governance in the management of groundwater resources.
The Inception meeting of the project will take place at UNESCO HQ on 6-7 September 2011.
For more information please contact Ms Lucilla Minelli.
Announcement and Call for Papers: The IHP Symposium on Extreme Events "Meteorological, Hydrological and Tsunami Disasters: Social Adaptation and Future" (EXTREME2011)
The IHP Symposium on Extreme Events "Meteorological, Hydrological and Tsunami Disasters: Social Adaptation and Future" (EXTREME2011) will be held at the Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Uji Campus, Uji City, Kyoto, Japan, followed by a one-day technical visit and the 19th Regional Steering Committee (RSC) Meeting for UNESCO International Hydrological Programme for Southeast Asia and the Pacific (UNESCO-IHP SEAP).
The IHP Symposium will consist of two days with opening ceremonies and technical sessions (24-25 October 2011), a one-day technical visit to Lake Biwa and Kyoto City Areas (26 October) and two days (27-28 October) for the 19th RSC Meeting for UNESCO-IHP SEAP.
It is hoped that hydrologists, meteorologists, water scientists, hydraulic and coastal engineers, disaster managers and other professionals will be attracted not only from Asia and Pacific region but also from other countries in the world. This international conference is also an opportunity for Japanese professionals to communicate and share their knowledge and experiences with their foreign peers and counterparts.
Full announcement | Registration form
MedPartnership expert meeting in Madrid
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UNESCO-IHP organized an Expert Meeting on "Coastal Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems in the Mediterranean" held on 5-6 July 2011 in Madrid, Spain. The meeting, hosted by the Spanish Geological Survey (IGME), was organized under the framework of the GEF MED/MAP MedPartneship project and the Sub-component on "Management of Coastal Aquifers and Groundwater" executed by UNESCO-IHP. Regional and international experts on the topic of Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems (GWDE) met in order to discuss the basis for a common methodology for the inventory, characterization, management and protection of coastal GWDE. The requirements for a regional inventory of coastal GWDE in the Mediterranean were also discussed with partner institutions and regional networks such as RAMSAR, IUCN, Wetlands International and Geological Surveys.
For more information please contact Mr Jose Luis Martin Bordes.
ISI Steering Committee member Prof. Zhao-Yin Wang receives ASCE’s Hans Albert Einstein Award
Professor Zhao-Yin Wang, who is a Professor of Tsinghua University, Beijing, China and serves as the UNESCO-IHP-ISI (International Sediment Initiative) Steering Committee member, is the 2011 recipient of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Hans Albert Einstein Award. It is the most prestigious award in the field of erosion control, sedimentation and/or waterway development. Prof. Wang accepted the award during the World Environmental and Water Resources Congress in Palm Springs the last week of May.
His award citation reads: "For his unique contributions to understanding of hyperconcentrated flows, debris flows, watershed vegetation-erosion dynamics, stream ecology and restorations, and integrated river basin management. In selecting Prof. Wang for this award the committee particularly noted his significant advances that are currently being used to address complex environmental erosion and sedimentation problems in China and all over the world."
The Hans Albert Einstein Award is given to a member who has made a significant contribution to the engineering profession in the area of erosion control, sedimentation and/or waterway development either in teaching, research, planning, design or management.
Events
UNESCO Water Family (*)
Short Course on "Modeling of River Migration at Multiple Scales: A GIS-based toolbox for river restoration"
3-5 September 2011: Beijing, China
7th IAHR Symposium on River, Coastal and Estuarine Morphodynamics (RCEM 2011)
6-8 September 2011: Beijing, China
Featured International Events
EcoHCC'11: International Conference on Ecohydrology and Climate Change
15-17 September 2011: Tomar, Portugal
WaterMicro 2011: 16th International Symposium on Health-Related Water Microbiology
18-23 September 2011: Rotura, New Zealand
International Conference on Groundwater: Our Source of Security in an Uncertain Future
19-21 September 2011: Pretoria, South Africa
Access a complete list of water events around the world
Did you know...? Facts and figures about pollution and degradation of water quality
Despite improvements in some regions, water pollution is on the rise globally.
- More than 80% of sewage in developing countries is discharged untreated, polluting rivers, lakes and coastal areas.
- Many industries – some of them known to be heavily polluting (such as leather and chemicals) – are moving from high-income countries to emerging market economies.
- Although rural populations in Asia are projected to remain stable over the next 20 years, urban populations are likely to increase by 60% before 2025, which affect prospects for water scarcity.
- Globally, the most prevalent water quality problem is eutrophication, a result of high-nutrient loads (mainly phosphorus and nitrogen), which substantially impairs beneficial uses of water.
- In 1998 approximately 90% of the coastal and marine biotopes in the Baltic Sea were threatened by loss of area or reduction in quality from eutrophication, contamination, fisheries and settlements.
- Today, up to 70 million people in Bangladesh are exposed to water that contains more than the World Health Organization threshold value of 10 micrograms of arsenic per litre. Up to half the estimated 10 million tubewells in Bangladesh might be contaminated with arsenic.
- Natural arsenic pollution of drinking water is now considered a global threat with as many as 140 million people affected in 70 countries on all continents.
- A recent study on drinking water in France estimated that more than 3 million people (5.8% of the population) were exposed to water quality that does not conform to World Health Organization (WHO) standards (for nitrates, non-conformity was found in 97% of groundwater samples).
The section "Did You Know…?" is taken from the 3rd World Water Development Report "Water in a Changing World".
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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