Read more
Natural rainfall variability is a recurrent characteristic of Mediterranean
climate and intensive drought events have been more frequent in the last
four decades with significant damages derived from water scarcity and
low water quality at the local and national levels. In this context,
Mediterranean countries have adapted to their climate and have
extensive legislation, institutional capabilities, and technical resources to
face drought. Nevertheless in most cases a proactive drought
management based on anticipatory planning is not implemented. There is
a need to formulate plans for drought management that shift from a
reactive approach (crisis approach) to a proactive approach based on risk
analysis, adapted to the current natural and social resources and taking
into account the dynamics of the social and environmental pressures.
MEDROPLAN (www.iamz.ciheam.org/medroplan) is a Project funded by
the European Commission within the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean
Regional Programme for Local Water Management. The
Project is coordinated by the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of
Zaragoza (IAMZ/CIHEAM). The objectives of the MEDROPLAN Project
are to provide Guidelines for Drought Preparedness Plans and the
framework for the setting up of a Drought Preparedness Network for the
Mediterranean countries. The Guidelines have been elaborated following
a common methodology for the analysis of drought risk and drought
management and have been specifically formulated to address the
physical, socio-economic, and environmental issues of the Mediterranean
countries. The Guidelines incorporate the scientific background and
knowledge on droughts, the meteorological, agricultural and hydrological
drought aspects, their onset and end, their frequency of occurrence, water
resource availability and water demand in relation to the climate, the
water shortage observed and the impacts of water shortage caused by
droughts in the six Partner countries of the Project (Cyprus, Greece, Italy,
Morocco, Spain and Tunisia).
The Technical Annex of the MEDROPLAN Drought Management
Guidelines, that constitute the present document, compile the technical
and scientific results of the MEDROPLAN Project. They are addressed to
a specialized public, scientists and technicians interested in drought
issues and in charge of dealing with drought problems in the water
management and agricultural sectors. In the present publication, the
reader can find in-depth information on the different components which
constitute the drought planning methodology proposed by MEDROPLAN
(the planning framework, the organizational, methodological, operational
and public review components), and a compendium of examples of
application in the six Partner countries of the Project.
