As per the Author(Pl see the Pdf below), Climate change affects all areas of the water sector, from water supply deficiencies through to storm water management and flooding.
The prospect of diminishing water availability is probably the most acute problem for public water utilities. Major shortages of water already occur in mid-latitude developed countries – the southwestern United States, most of southern Australia, Mediterranean Europe and south-western Africa. It is clear that the ‘old’ approach of relying on the historical records of streamflows and groundwater recharge to predict future water yields is failing, and that water systems will need multiple, rainfall-independent sources as part of the mix, as well as major improvements in water use efficiency, gained with the cooperation of business and the community.
The challenge will be to re-design, then operate water systems that are resilient to changes over a wide range of conditions. Scenario modelling and analysis is one way of doing this, but the assumptions and data necessary will always be lacking, so a combination of technical and social adaptations will be needed to cushion us from the shocks ahead.
When it comes to water, there is a growing recognition that the world faces a crisis that, left unchecked, will derail progress towards the Millennium Development Goals and hold back human development.
More Reading @World of Opportunities 2009-2010
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