WMO Vision and Strategy on Hydrology
Water stress, water-related hazards and water quality pose increasing challenges to modern society. And yet, the capacity to monitor and manage this vital resource is fragmented and inadequate.
Water resources are under stress and increasing demand is adding further pressure, while climate change is increasing variability in the water cycle, inducing a greater number of extreme weather events, reducing the predictability of water availability and affecting water quality. In turn, this cascade of consequences threatens sustainable development, biodiversity and the enjoyment of the human right to water and sanitation worldwide.
All around the world, billions of people feel the impacts of climate change through water. The frequency of water-related disasters is on the rise due to the increase in the intensity of natural events such as storms, high winds, heavy precipitation and dry spells. Floods, droughts, landslides, glacier lake outbursts and storm surges are impacting lives and infrastructure in coastal zones and mountain tops, in arid plains and deserts, along riverbanks and in floodplains. At the same time, droughts are increasing in frequency and severity. The poorest and least developed countries are the most vulnerable.
The World Meteorological Congress has approved the eight long-term ambitions to address the water challenge before it becomes a crisis and decided to develop a Vision and Strategy on Hydrology and its Associated Plan of Action. These ambitions guide the development of WMO’s water-related activities and each of them represents a goal that benefits society in the frameworks of sustainable development and disaster risk management. The vision is that by 2030 a cooperative global community is successfully addressing the growing challenges related to hydrological extremes, water availability and quality, and food security, by advancing operational hydrology through enhanced science, infrastructure, capacity-building and related services, in the context of sustainable development and enhanced resilience.
Eight Long-Term Ambitions for Water
- No one is surprised by a flood;
- Everyone is prepared for drought;
- Hydro-climate and meteorological data support the food security agenda;
- High-quality data supports science;
- Science provides a sound basis for operational hydrology;
- We have thorough knowledge of the water resources of our world;
- Sustainable development is supported by information covering the full hydrological cycle; and
- Water quality is known.