A multi-criteria assessment framework for national drought planning

A multi-criteria assessment framework for national drought planning
Author: Alkadir, M.A., Pek, E., Salman, M.
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 85
Release: 2022-08-26
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9251367205

The increasingly frequent and severe droughts prompted the global community to adopt more proactive and integrated approaches to reduce or neutralize the impacts. The paradigm shift called for an improved planning mechanism that puts emphasis on strengthening preparedness. In support of this process, the Drought Initiative, called by the Conference of Parties (COP) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), rolled out its programme on drought planning at national level. Showing the strong interest, 70 countries have already joined the programme to prepare their national drought plan. The development of a multi-criteria assessment for the review of the plans is a necessary step to enable the implementation. This publication contributes to this overall goal from multiple objectives, including the presentation of a replicable framework to conduct regular reviews, the analysis of the submitted plans to identify the potential for further enhancements, the provision of recommendations on the options of enhancements, and the demonstration of case studies with successful planning methods to facilitate the global knowledge-sharing.

Drought Assessment, Management, and Planning: Theory and Case Studies

Drought Assessment, Management, and Planning: Theory and Case Studies
Author: Donald A. Wilhite
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 298
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1461532248

Drought is an insidious hazard of nature. It originates from a deficiency of precipitation that results in a water shortage for some activity or some group. Africa has suffered the most dramatic impacts from drought during the past several decades the recent droughts in the southern and eastern portions of the continent are testimony to that fact. However, the vulnerability of all nations to extended periods of water shortage has been underscored again and again during this same time period. In the past decade alone, droughts have occurred with considerable frequency and severity in most of the developed and developing world. Significant parts of North and South America, Australia, Europe, and Asia have been plagued recently by extended periods of severe drought, often resulting in far-reaching economic, social, and environmental consequences. In the western United States, for example, vast areas are facing the prospects of a sixth or seventh consecutive year of drought in 1993. Concern by members ofthe scientific and policy communities about the inability of governments to respond in an effective and timely manner to drought and its associated impacts exists worldwide. Numerous "calls for action" for improved drought planning and management have been issued by national governments, professional organizations, intergovernmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and others. The United Nations' International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (lDNDR) is yet another example of an international call for action to reduce the impacts that result from drought and other natural hazards.

Comparative Risk Assessment and Environmental Decision Making

Comparative Risk Assessment and Environmental Decision Making
Author: Igor Linkov
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 431
Release: 2006-03-02
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1402022433

Decision making in environmental projects is typically a complex and confusing process characterized by trade-offs between socio-political, environmental, and economic impacts. Comparative Risk Assessment (CRA) is a methodology applied to facilitate decision making when various activities compete for limited resources. CRA has become an increasingly accepted research tool and has helped to characterize environmental profiles and priorities on the regional and national level. CRA may be considered as part of the more general but as yet quite academic field of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). Considerable research in the area of MCDA has made available methods for applying scientific decision theoretical approaches to multi-criteria problems, but its applications, especially in environmental areas, are still limited. The papers show that the use of comparative risk assessment can provide the scientific basis for environmentally sound and cost-efficient policies, strategies, and solutions to our environmental challenges.

Water Management and Climate Change

Water Management and Climate Change
Author: Cecilia Tortajada
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 187
Release: 2016-04-14
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1317611276

To plan successfully and manage the increased uncertainties posed by likely future climate change, knowledge needs to advance much more for the water profession beyond what it is now available. Meeting these challenges does not depend exclusively on advances in climatological-hydrologic models. Policies for adaptation and strategies for mitigation measures have to be formulated on the basis of what are likely to be the potential impacts. These will have to be regularly fine-tuned and implemented according to changing needs and as more reliable knowledge and data become available. Even more challenging will be the politics of policy making and implementation, which will require a quantum leap from current policy-making and implementation processes. One can even say that, in addition to the development of more reliable models, the politics of climate change and water management remains one of the greatest uncertainties for the water profession. This book addresses water management practices and how these should and could be modified to cope with climatic and other related uncertainties over the next two to three decades; the types of strategies and good practices that may be available or have to be developed to cope with the current and expected uncertainties in relation to climate change; and the types of knowledge, information and technological developments needed to incorporate possible future climate change impacts within the framework of water resources management. Decision making in the water sector under changing climate and related uncertainties, and societal water security under altering and fluctuating climate are also discussed. Several case studies are included from several basins, cities, regions and countries in both developed and non-developing countries. This book was published as a special issue of the International Journal of Water Resources Development.

Handbook of Drought and Water Scarcity

Handbook of Drought and Water Scarcity
Author: Saeid Eslamian
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 782
Release: 2017-09-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1351851144

This volume includes over 30 chapters, written by experts from around the world. It examines numerous management strategies for dealing with drought and scarcity. These strategies include management approaches for different regions, such as coastal, urban, rural, and agricultural areas. It offers multiple strategies for monitoring, assessing, and forcasting drought through the use of remote sensing and GIS tools. It also presents drought mitigation management strategies, such as groundwater management, rainwater harvesting, conservations practices, and more.

National Study of Water Management During Drought: Managing Water for Drought

National Study of Water Management During Drought: Managing Water for Drought
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 192
Release: 1994
Genre:
ISBN:

This report describes the planning process developed during the National Drought Study. The Corps of Engineers conducted the study from 1990 to 1994 to improve the way water is managed during drought in the United States. At the heart of the process, which was developed, test and refined during the study, is a rigorous planning and evaluation framework, based on well established, time tested principles. It is a variation on the principles of multiobjective water management developed by the Harvard Water Program in the 1950's. Lake the Harvard approach, the drought study method goes beyond engineering and economic evaluations of water management to address environmental, social and political objectives. Like Principles and Guidelines, the new method requires iterative planning, but the new method more easily accommodates non-structural solutions and situations in which the federal government is not the key player. The most visible innovation from the Drought Study is the shared vision model. The name shared vision models captures their most important advantage. Because experts and stakeholders build these models together, they become a trusted, consensus view of how the water system works as a whole, and how it affects stakeholders and the environment.

Economic assessment of drought risk management

Economic assessment of drought risk management
Author: Cuevas, S.
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 145
Release: 2024-03-22
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9251386242

Drought is a complex natural hazard, and the uncertainties surrounding its onset and impacts make investment decisions inherently difficult. On the other hand, drought is considered one of the costliest and most destructive natural hazards. With the threat of higher frequency and greater intensity of future drought events due to climate change, the debate in drought management has evolved from whether to implement reactive or proactive drought management approaches – in other words, whether to invest or not in proactive drought actions – to how to invest in proactive drought action. Different and evolving drought events can be mitigated with varying proactive measures, but the best trade-off between efficacy and profitability – be it a financial or an economic profit – must be targeted. The report investigates the broad concept of the economics of drought management, provides a conceptual, two-tier framework for the assessment of proactive and reactive actions, and disseminates case studies for the implementation of the framework in decision-making processes. This report aims to assist decision-makers, policymakers, planners, and national authorities responsible for planning and programming to conduct an exhaustive economic assessment related to drought. With the knowledge gained from the report, a critical step in the drought investment decision-making process can be effectively undertaken.

Enabling Adaptive Water Management to Face Drought Risk in a Changing Climate

Enabling Adaptive Water Management to Face Drought Risk in a Changing Climate
Author: Guido Minucci
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 142
Release: 2020-08-11
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 3030551377

This book explores the current challenges with regard to uncertainty and risk in water management, as well as the interlinkages between drought and water management. It focuses on the challenges for water management organisations, which are expected to adapt to such changes and implement adaptive water management. The book proposes a methodology for assessing organisations’ adaptive capacity, named REACT, and demonstrates its application in a case study. It subsequently analyses the barriers hindering water management organisations’ ability to adapt, and investigates the socio-cultural and economic barriers in water governance to applying adaptive water management (AWM) strategies. Lastly, the book describes how to enable AWM in order to face current and future drought risks by integrating it with drought risk management. Given its scope, it will appeal to scientists, pracademics and professionals from academia, the water industry and involved in policymaking.