Memorandum submitted by the NERC Centre
for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH)
1. The NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
welcomes the opportunity to submit written evidence to the House
of Commons International Development Committee inquiry on Water
and Sanitation.
2. The NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
(CEH) is the UK's Centre of Excellence for research in the land
and freshwater environmental sciences. Research is aimed at improving
understanding of the natural processes that underlie the Earth's
support systems, eg climate and water resources, and of the impacts
of human activity on the natural environment. CEH aims to provide
the scientific underpinning for solutions to environmental issues
arising from global change and the need for sustainable economies,
and to provide the knowledge base for government policies addressing
environmental issues. CEH, together with BGS, operates the UK
National Water Archive which brings together surface and groundwater
monitoring data and publishes monthly reports on the status of
UK water resources. CEH has wide experience of water resources
assessment and hydrological research activity in developing countries.
The Centre's expertise and facilities serve to enhance research
training in the UK and capacity building overseas.
3. The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
welcomes and supports the Government's commitment to poverty elimination
as reflected in its contribution to achieving the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) and in the 2006 DFID White Paper which pledges support
to deliver water and sanitation services.
4. Water Resources Management:
(i) Water resources in developing countries
are under increasing pressure due to major demographic change;
both the increase in population and the movement from rural areas
to cities. At the same time demand is expected to increase as
the MDGs are achieved. In working towards the goal of providing
adequate water supplies, it is essential that holistic assessments
of available water resources are undertaken. Water resource assessments
are underpinned by the collection and interpretation of hydrological
data derived from appropriate hydrometric networks. There is clear
evidence that in developing countries the basic hydrometric infrastructure,
knowledge and expertise are not available to provide essential
water resource assessments. The successful application of Integrated
Water Resources Management at national, basin or aquifer level
is impossible without basic rainfall and riverflow data.
(ii) There is a clear need for emphasis to
be placed on improving hydrometric monitoring and data management
in developing countries in order to achieve the ambitious `water
and sanitation' goals. This improvement should focus on building
the infrastructure and the technical capabilities of local staff.
(iii) Support for these activities could
be provided through a range of aid instruments and funding mechanisms
including direct budget support, technical assistance programmes,
training and capacity building, research programmes, resource
centre schemes, twinning arrangements and support to UN Water
Agencies.
(iv) In applying these instruments DfID should
not overlook the potential contribution of the UK hydrological
research community and should seek mechanisms to utilise the expertise
that exists.
5. Implications of climate change for water
and sanitation:
(i) Climate change is expected to have a
significant impact on weather patterns, precipitation and the
hydrological cycle, affecting surface water availability, as well
as soil moisture and groundwater recharge. Predictions are that
the situation will worsen in almost all of the areas, such as
sub-Saharan Africa, where poverty already limits the ability of
the population to cope with drought.
(ii) The projected increased variability
in the availability and distribution of freshwater resources further
demands commitment to supporting and advancing the collection
and analysis of hydrological data to enable better informed decisions
on the development of water resources and the training of water
professionals for their subsequent management.
(iii) Estimating climate change in Africa
has not been a high priority for climate modelling centres and
current estimates of climate change for sub-Saharan Africa are
highly uncertain, with a wide range of predictions being made
by the different models available. An initiative to improve these
predictions should be made so that water resource development
can include climate change as a factor in planning for the future.
African scientists must be fully involved in this initiative and
scientific capacity built accordingly.
October 2006
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