Water scarcity and droughts are amongst the most tangible and devastating consequences of the climate crisis. They increasingly affect communities across the planet, causing tolls on societies, the economy and environmental impacts.
The Danube Region is no exception. In recent years, significant parts of the Danube Region have been affected by drought, resulting in negative impacts on various water-dependent economic sectors, the welfare of people, vegetation and on the aquatic environment. In 2017, a significant drought developed across the entire Danube Region and persisted in its northern parts throughout 2018 and 2019.
These recent trends highlight the significance of the issue in the Danube region, specifically in the context of climate change. It is crucial that societies adapt, and that governments and water-dependent sectors accelerate prioritizing and scaling up their response mechanisms to water scarcity and droughts in the coming decade.
The objective of the workshop is to raise awareness about the relevance, past and potential future impacts of water scarcity and droughts in the Danube region, and to provide a forum for exchange on good practice approaches and options to address the issue in order to make the region more resilient against such extreme events. The objective is also to allow for taking stock on challenges and potential support needs for future action.
The Organizers
The workshop "Beyond Scarcity - Water Scarcity and Drought Risk Management in the Danube region" is organised by:
Presentations
Session 1
Setting the Scene – Approaches for water scarcity and drought risk management
20 September, 13:30 – 14:45
Welcome and introduction to the event
(Mr. Raimund Mair, World Bank)
Global perspectives and innovative governance approaches for drought risk management
(Mr. Nathan Engle, Senior Climate Change Specialist, World Bank)
Drought under Climate Change and the Need for Integrated Risk Management
(Mr. Valentin Aich, GWP/WMO IDMP Technical Support Unit)
Managing environmental risk in the Danube basin with a focus on water scarcity and drought
(Mr. László Balatonyi, Priority Area 5 Coordinator, EU Strategy for the Danube Region)
Session 2
Relevance of water scarcity and droughts in the Danube region
20 September, 15:00 – 16:15
Integrated Drought Management Program in CEE – perspectives and activities
(Ms. Sabina Bokal, GWP CEE )
Tackling drought in South-east Europe
(Dr. Andreja Sušnik, DMCSEE - Drought Management Centre for Southeastern Europe)
National Action Plan to address the effects of drought and water scarcity in Slovakia
(Ms. Danka Thalmeinerová, Ministry of Environment, Slovakia)
A Water Balance for the Danube River Basin
(Mr. Balázs Horváth, Hungary, and Mr. Miodrag Milovanovic, Serbia, in the frame of the ICPDR)
Session 3
Impacts and response approaches of water-related sectors
20 September, 16:15 – 17:00
Introduction to working group discussions
Session 4
Impacts and response approaches of water-related sectors
21 September, 13:30 to 14:30
Session 5
Pathways, policy and regulatory approaches to improve resilience against water scarcity and droughts
21 September, 14:30 – 15:45
Water assessment in a water rich country – New “Wasserschatz” study
(Mr. Johannes Grath, Leader of the Groundwater Team, Environment Agency, Austria)
Water resources and drought risk management in the Czech Republic
(Ms. Jana Tejkalová, Ministry of the Environment, Czech Republic)
Hungarian drought in-situ monitoring system
(Mr. Balázs Horváth, General Directorate of Water Management, Hungary)
Session 6
Wrap-up and closing
21 September, 16:00 – 16:30
Introduction and PollEV
(Sabina Bokal, GWP CEE)
Summary, conclusions, lessons learned and potential future actions
(Natalia Limones Rodriguez, Senior Researcher)
Institutional Partners
The organization of the workshop "Beyond Scarcity - Water Scarcity and Drought Risk Management in the Danube region" has been made possible through institutional support from:
