Approaches for increasing and protecting fresh water resources in light of climate change

Abstract

Available fresh water resources are shrinking and periods of droughts and water shortage are becoming more frequent. Such water Shortage is mainly man-induced and therefore should be treated as such. The impacts of Water shortage are ecological disruptions, general decrease of water levels in lakes, ponds, streams, reservoirs and aquifers, loss of topsoil and increased airborne dust, crop shortages or losses, increases in insect activities and predators, multiplying of weeds, replacement of useful plant species by less useful species, increased fire hazard, transformation of land uses, adverse effects to livestock such as reduction of herd size, increase of diceases and problems of vectror control, reduction or loss of wildlife resources.

Measures for mitigating water shortage, such as, inter alia, supply oriented, impact minimization, interbasin and within-basin water transfer and exchange, drought forecasts and early warning, surface and groundwater storage, transfer of surplus water in time must be reliably designed and implemented.