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Water Resources and Risk Management

A section of Hydrology (ISSN 2306-5338).

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Prepared by Paolo Reggiani

The estimation of future water resources availability, which is directly related to surface runoff, precipitation, temperature, and evaporation over medium- to long-term time periods, is an essential facet of climate impact analysis, as well as of water resources risk estimation and management. Noticeable intensification of hydro-meteorological activity in many countries leads to the increase of inundation risk, the potential loss of life, and often incisive socioeconomic collateral damage.

On the other hand, several regions have reached the limit of sustainably useable water across their river basins. A steadily growing water demand driven by agricultural irrigation, in tandem with a structural water resource shortage, bears considerable potential for resource allocation risks.

Any strategy designed to mitigate such risks requires a plausible estimation of future water availability trends to allow for targeted water resources planning and the adoption of risk mitigation strategies. This concerns methods of irrigation, smart water allocation, and the management of reservoirs to strengthen the resilience of affected societies. In risk-sensitive water resources planning and management, decision makers, although unsure of future outcomes, must take the most reliable and assuring decisions in the face of uncertain conditions. Deterministic and probabilistic prediction techniques, combined with optimization tools, are widely used to meet the objective of improving planning as well as risk management and mitigation. The present section is devoted to the publication of research work on advanced approaches for managing increasingly scarce and variable water resources and related risks. Interested authors are encouraged to submit high-quality papers addressing a wide audience among hydrologists, water resources planners, and resource managers.