One important step toward this objective is the implementation of better monitoring systems of water withdraws to manage water flow and freshwater availability, as it has been highlighted by the analysis of the DROP pilot sites. In fact,
besides monitoring water withdraw, all the data that can contribute to a better
understanding of the water cycle is worth being collected to provide the basis for
science and best practices in hydrology, water supply systems, geomorphology,
drainage network, and land use management. An enhanced knowledge of drought
impacts and of hydrologic patterns contributes to achieving greater effectiveness of
adaptation measures and target management efforts.
The well-developed flood risk governance in pilot cases seems to have contributed to creating synergies among local stakeholders that can participate in
building integrated water-related risks (including droughts) governance together.
Future actions that could enhance drought resilience include the following strategies
(selected from the study of Dennis 2013):
• New sources of water from outside the region are pursued to meet demands
(drinking water supply systems interconnectivity).
• Residents collect gray water for outdoor use.
• Cities utilize policy instruments (like financial incentives) to reduce water use.
• Water quality regulations are precautionary and protect against new and
potentially harmful pollutants.
• Natural areas along streams are restored and protected for fish and wildlife.
• Safe yield is a central guiding principal in water management.
The evolution of regulations and policy instruments depends greatly on changes
of the political agenda in the region, the main topic was discussed in the previous
Sect. 11.5 of this chapter. The first point actually concerns measures that have
already been identified and even started to be implemented by water managers in
NWE. However, the actions that require a paradigm shift to a most systemic
strategy including water demand control remain out of the agenda and could greatly
improve the resilience of the region to drought and water scarcity rising risk.
Open Access This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/), which
permits any noncommercial use, duplication, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any
medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, a
link is provided to the Creative Commons license, and any changes made are indicated.
The images or other third party material in this chapter are included in the work’s Creative
Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if such material is not included in
the work’s Creative Commons license and the respective action is not permitted by statutory
regulation, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to duplicate, adapt, or
reproduce the material.
11 Cross-cutting Perspective Freshwater
229
besides monitoring water withdraw, all the data that can contribute to a better
understanding of the water cycle is worth being collected to provide the basis for
science and best practices in hydrology, water supply systems, geomorphology,
drainage network, and land use management. An enhanced knowledge of drought
impacts and of hydrologic patterns contributes to achieving greater effectiveness of
adaptation measures and target management efforts.
The well-developed flood risk governance in pilot cases seems to have contributed to creating synergies among local stakeholders that can participate in
building integrated water-related risks (including droughts) governance together.
Future actions that could enhance drought resilience include the following strategies
(selected from the study of Dennis 2013):
• New sources of water from outside the region are pursued to meet demands
(drinking water supply systems interconnectivity).
• Residents collect gray water for outdoor use.
• Cities utilize policy instruments (like financial incentives) to reduce water use.
• Water quality regulations are precautionary and protect against new and
potentially harmful pollutants.
• Natural areas along streams are restored and protected for fish and wildlife.
• Safe yield is a central guiding principal in water management.
The evolution of regulations and policy instruments depends greatly on changes
of the political agenda in the region, the main topic was discussed in the previous
Sect. 11.5 of this chapter. The first point actually concerns measures that have
already been identified and even started to be implemented by water managers in
NWE. However, the actions that require a paradigm shift to a most systemic
strategy including water demand control remain out of the agenda and could greatly
improve the resilience of the region to drought and water scarcity rising risk.
Open Access This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/), which
permits any noncommercial use, duplication, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any
medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, a
link is provided to the Creative Commons license, and any changes made are indicated.
The images or other third party material in this chapter are included in the work’s Creative
Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if such material is not included in
the work’s Creative Commons license and the respective action is not permitted by statutory
regulation, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to duplicate, adapt, or
reproduce the material.
11 Cross-cutting Perspective Freshwater
229