WMO approves the Hydrology Action Plan
July 2021
The WMO (World Meteorological Organization) announces that the Executive Council has approved the vision and strategy for Hydrology and the related Hydrology Action Plan, expressing the need to improve the monitoring and management of water in facing growing water challenges, water-related risks and water quality.
Water resources are under stress and increasing demand is adding further pressure. Climate change is increasing the variability in the water cycle, inducing a greater number of extreme weather events, reducing the predictability of water availability and affecting water quality. All these consequences threaten sustainable development, biodiversity and the enjoyment of the human right to water and sanitation worldwide.
The frequency of water-related disasters is increasing due to the increasing intensity of natural events. Floods, droughts, landslides, sea storms and glacial lake outburst floods are increasingly intense, frequent and harmful.
Until 2030, the water-related initiatives of the WMO will have to be designed in order to achieve the following eight ambitions (video):
1. No one is surprised by a flood;
2. Everyone is prepared for drought;
3. Hydro-climate and meteorological data support the food security agenda;
4. High-quality data supports science;
5. Science provides a sound basis for operational hydrology;
6. We have thorough knowledge of the water resources of our world;
7. Sustainable development is supported by hydrological information;
8. Water quality is known.
The activities needed to achieve these goals are detailed in the Action Plan, which is the result of extensive consultation with the hydrological community, including two on-line rounds that brought more than 340 comments from experts from around the world.
In addition, in June the Executive Council of the WMO was in virtual session from 14th to 25th, with the aim of strengthening and expanding meteorological, climate, water and environmental services. In addition to the Hydrology Action Plan, the Council discussed an important update regarding the management of WMO data and how to bridge the gap in the global observation system.
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