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Storing water: a new integrated approach for resilient development

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Title Storing water: a new integrated approach for resilient development
 
Creator Yu, W.
Rex, William
McCartney, Matthew P.
Uhlenbrook, Stefan
Gnechten, Rachel von
Priscoli, J. D.
 
Subject water storage
integrated management
water resources
water management
sustainable development
climate change
resilience
socioeconomic development
water supply
infrastructure
water demand
risk
rainfall patterns
soil moisture
groundwater
aquifers
dams
lakes
river basins
glaciers
reservoirs
wetlands
 
Description This paper outlines a new and integrated water storage agenda for resilient development in a world increasingly characterised by water stress and climate uncertainty and variability.|Storing water has long been a cornerstone of socio-economic development, particularly for societies exposed to large climatic variability. Nature has always supplied the bulk of water storage on earth, but built storage has increased significantly, particularly over the twentieth century. Today, numerous countries suffer from water storage gaps and increasingly variable precipitation, threatening sustainable development and even societal stability. There is a growing need to develop more storage types and manage existing storage better. At the same time, the policy, engineering, and scientific communities may not fully recognise the extent of these storage gaps and how best to manage them. There are large and uncertain costs and benefits of different types of storage, and developing storage can be risky and controversial. Although there is consensus that built and natural storage are fundamentally complementary, there is still no pragmatic agenda to guide future integrated water storage development.|This paper argues that water storage should be recognised as a service rather than only a facility. More than volumes of water stored behind a dam or in a watershed, what ultimately matters is the ability to provide different services at a particular time and place with a given level of assurance. Integrated storage systems should be developed and managed to deliver a targeted service standard. This will reduce the costs of new storage development and make the benefits more sustainable.|As this paper demonstrates, there are numerous data gaps pertaining to water storage, as well as a need for greater clarity on some key concepts. This paper does not introduce new data or research but rather provides a review of some of the current knowledge and issues around water storage, and outlines a new, integrated and constructive water storage agenda for the decades to come.
 
Date 2021-02-01
2021-02-15T05:35:51Z
2021-02-15T05:35:51Z
 
Type Report
 
Identifier Yu, W.; Rex, William; McCartney, Matthew; Uhlenbrook, Stefan; von Gnechten, Rachel; Priscoli, J. D. 2021. Storing water: a new integrated approach for resilient development. Stockholm, Sweden: Global Water Partnership (GWP); Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 28p. (GWP Perspectives Paper 13)
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/111306
H050263
 
Language en
 
Relation GWP Perspectives Paper
 
Rights Copyrighted; all rights reserved
Open Access
 
Format 28p.
application/pdf