LEARNING PAPER
Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
Kanmani Venkateswaran, Karen MacClune, Lucrezia Tincani and Soumik Biswas
JULY 2018 ACT (Action on Climate Today) is an initiative funded with UK aid from the UK government and managed by Oxford Policy Management. ACT brings together two UK Department for International Development programmes: the Climate Proofing Growth and Development Programme and the Climate Change Innovation Programme. The views expressed in this paper do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s official policies.
Cover photo: A girl drinks water from a reservoir in Khichan, India. Don Mammoser/Shutterstock.com. Photos: p1: Piotr Snigorski/Shutterstock.com, p21: sta/Shutterstock.com, p.27: Soumitra Pendse/Shutterstock.com, all other images: ACT LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
Contents
Acknowledgements ii
Abbreviations and acronyms ii
Executive summary 1
1. Introduction 2
2. The role of climate information in mainstreaming climate change adaptation within water resource management 3 2.1. What is climate information? 3 2.2. Climate information and the water resource management sector 4 2.3. Using climate information for water resource management 4 2.4. Different approaches to CRWM in the ACT programme 8
3. Learning from ACT: The constraints to integrating climate information into water resource management, and how to overcome them 11 3.1. Availability, reliability and accessibility of climate data 11 3.2. Analysing climate data to produce climate information and analysis 12 3.3. Using climate information and analysis to produce CRWM policy 14 3.4. Wider political economy context 15
4. Discussion: Working in different data environments 19 4.1. Medium- to high-data environments 19 4.2. Low- to medium-data environments 21
5. Recommendations: How best to integrate climate information into WRM planning 24
6. Conclusion 27
References 29
Annex: Online sources of climate information 30
ACT Team Leader biographies 31
i LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Rizwan Uz Zaman, Nirmala Sanu, Naman Gupta, Pankaj Kumar, Arif Pervaiz, Marwah Malik, Azim Doosti, Sunil Acharya, Ajith Radhakrishnan and others for providing the experience and learning necessary to inform this paper; Gemma Tanner, Aditya V. Bahadur, Cristina Rumbaitis del Rio and Vidya Soundarajan for reviewing drafts; Uma Pal, Anmol Arora and Divya Joy for providing research and editorial support; and Elizabeth Gogoi for managing the research and production process.
Abbreviations and acronyms
ACT Action on Climate Today AWS Automated Weather Station CRWM Climate-Resilient Water Management EWS Early Warning System GCM Global Circulation Model HEC-RAS Hydrologic Engineering Centre – River Analysis System HRVA Hazard Risk and Vulnerability Analysis IMD Indian Meteorological Department JSA Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan NAP National Adaptation Plan NGO Non-Governmental Organisation SWAT Soil and Water Assessment Tool VCA Value Chain Analysis WOTR Watershed Trust Organisation WRM Water Resource Management
ii LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
Executive summary
This paper explores one critical challenge for promoting Climate-Resilient Water Management (CRWM) in South Asia and beyond: the availability and use of high-quality climate information. It is aimed primarily at those designing or delivering projects and programmes on CRWM, as it provides some practical guidance on the role and use of climate information. One key difference between CRWM approaches and practices and a ‘business as usual’ approach to managing water resources is the use of high- quality climate information while designing and planning interventions (James et al., 2018). Climate information is a broad term that can cover data on climate variables and dynamics, as well as the outputs of different climate models. It can be based on measured data (e.g. from weather stations) and/ or documented perceptions (e.g. surveys). In South Asia, as in other regions, there are many challenges to the use of climate information to inform the policy-making process. There are limitations in the availability, reliability and accessibility of climate data, and capacity constraints in assessing the climate data to produce useful information and analysis that is then used to inform policy and practice. Together with wider political economy and governance constraints, these issues in turn challenge the extent to which CRWM can be effectively adopted in the region. This is the challenge that Action on Climate Today (ACT), a programme funded by the UK Department for International Development, has taken up since Pakistani porter with donkey leaving Korofong camp. 2014. ACT works with partner governments at the national and subnational level in five South Asian countries, and is designed to transform systems The paper then explores some of the major of planning and delivery for adaptation to climate constraints to integrating climate information change. within the planning process, as well as some key enablers that have helped ACT overcome these This paper presents learning from ACT on how challenges. A discussion then goes into more detail to understand the role of climate information in on specific learning from ACT from different ‘data producing analysis and informing climate change environments’, meaning from contexts where data policy and action, particularly in the water sector, is more or less available than in others. and how to overcome some of the challenges involved. It starts with an overview of the definition The final section of the paper is targeted at and typology of different types of climate those seeking to design and implement CRWM information, and how it can be used in different programmes and initiatives and provides some ways to inform CRWM. It presents a large number recommendations on how best to use and integrate of examples of initiatives from ACT to highlight the climate information. An Annex provides a set breadth of possible types of climate information of online sources of climate information as an and uses. additional resource for those interested in CRWM.
1 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
1. Introduction
Climate change is already having an impact on the 1. Using the best available climate information and water cycle. In particular, climate change is thought data to go beyond business as usual; to be making the monsoon more erratic and 2. Systematically integrating the principles of unpredictable, and leading to a decreasing number of resilience, such as ‘buffers’, flexibility and rainfall days but with heavier intensity (Loo et al., 2015). adaptability; In addition to shifting such baseline conditions, climate 3. Sharply focusing on reducing the vulnerability of change is projected to increase the frequency and poor and marginalised communities to climate severity of both floods and droughts (Kundzewicz et al., change. 2007). In parallel, in South Asia, as in much of the world, water demand is increasing in response to population This paper focuses on Pillar 1. ACT’s conception of growth, urbanisation and increased per capita demand, Pillar 1 suggests that the use of climate information increased industrial demand and a continued relatively is critical for differentiating CRWM interventions high dependence on agriculture. This increase in from ‘business as usual’, given that information demand is expected to continue and accelerate, on physical exposure and social vulnerability especially in the agriculture sector, as temperature rises to climate shocks and stresses needs to inform lead to higher evapotranspiration losses and greater CRWM. Understanding physical exposure and social crop water use (Cline, 2008). vulnerability entails combining different types of climate information to create a comprehensive Changes in the hydrologic cycle coupled with increased narrative of the impact of climate extremes, water demand will have manifold impacts on food uncertainty and variability on WRM. and livelihood security, agriculture, urbanisation, industrialisation and hence the economy at large. As a This paper evaluates challenges and opportunities, result, the South Asian water resources sector needs to as experienced by ACT, in producing and using plan for climate change. climate information for informed decision-making in South Asia. It seeks to inform government agencies This challenge has been taken up by Action on and officials, practitioners and donors, consultancy Climate Today (ACT), a technical assistance initiative firms, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and funded by the UK Department for International individual consultants on 1) how best to put climate Development, which began in 2014. ACT is focused information into practice in WRM and 2) how to use on climate-proofing governance systems in five South climate information to inform and guide the policy- Asian countries at the national and subnational levels making process. to transform systems of planning and delivery for adaptation to climate change. The paper is divided into the following sections: • Section 2 presents a background review of how One particular focus of the ACT programme is climate information could, in theory, be used to introducing Climate-Resilient Water Management mainstream climate adaptation within WRM, and (CRWM) into the water resource management (WRM) the challenges and gaps that exist in this effort in and agriculture sectors. CRWM aims to reduce the practice. This section concludes with a summary vulnerability of at-risk populations to the adverse of the different approaches ACT is taking to impacts of climate change, which includes the ability to incorporate climate information into CRWM. maintain services and support livelihoods in the face of • Section 3 discusses the factors that have enabled short-term shocks and to adapt to an uncertain longer- or constrained the use of climate information in term future. ACT CRWM interventions, with examples from the The ACT programme is utilising a variety of CRWM various projects and contexts. approaches and practices based on the local context • Section 4, the discussion, explores how much and demand from key stakeholders. For example, some climate information is ‘enough’, to guide interventions focus on conducting water use studies practitioners and donors in designing new projects. and overlaying them onto climate scenarios to inform • Section 5 puts forward some recommendations – a WRM. Others focus on developing flood-forecasting set of suggested practices for integrating climate systems. Other examples include informing national information into WRM projects. and state climate policy and planning. All of ACT’s work • The final section presents some concluding on CRWM is based on three conceptual pillars for thoughts, including take-home messages for CRWM building resilience which underpin the approaches and projects, informed by all that ACT has learnt in the practices ACT is pursuing ( James et al., 2018): implementation of the programme.
2 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
2. The role of climate information in mainstreaming climate change adaptation within water resource management
2.1. What is climate information? data and information is available – or at least Climate information refers to the measurement it would strongly benefit from the inclusion of of trends, projections and translated scientific such information. For example, seasonal drought data on weather that is used to inform policy and warnings can help farmers select more drought- practice. ‘Climate information’ and ‘climate change tolerant crops or diversify their planting. Flood information’ are not the same but have significant forecasts allow governments and first responders overlaps. To a large degree, climate change to issue advance warnings and to pre-stage rescue information is a subset of climate information: equipment and relief supplies. Planners can use • ‘Climate change information’ is specific to climate historic flows of information and water demand change and its current potential future trends and data to determine the need for water storage impacts (e.g. projections of future rainfall patterns). and select the most effective sites for reservoirs • ‘Climate information’ broadly refers to climate and groundwater recharge. Urban heat island variables and dynamics (e.g. information on information and temperature trends can help water rainfall patterns) and is informed by climate data utilities anticipate demand increases and develop (e.g. data on rainfall). new water supplies and/or conservation campaigns. Climate data entails measurements of • Climate information and non-climate information temperature, precipitation, windspeed, etc., that (e.g. on population projections, water withdrawals, are collected, analysed and translated to produce etc.), can be combined through various tools and climate information. methodologies to produce analysis for various time Much development planning and action can horizons on how different variables affect current be conducted only if the supporting climate and future development conditions.
Figure 1: The role of climate information in producing analysis and informing policy
DATA PROCESSING DATA COLLECTION DECISION MAKING & ANALYSIS
Tools for data collection and processing include Hazard Risk and Vulnerability Assessments (HRVAs), Vulnerability Assessments (VAs), Climate Change Impact Assessments (CCIAs) & Value Chain Assessments (VCAs)
CLIMATE DATA CLIMATE ANALYSIS POLICY FORMULATION (HISTORICAL)
Perceptions Analysis of New or revised vulnerability to plans or policies on Meteorological Data climate change CRWM which have including exposure, been informed by sensitivity and the climate analysis. MODELLED DATA adaptive capacity. For example, early (FUTURE) warning systems, flood management Forecasts plans, water storage systems, etc. CLIMATE INFORMATION CLIMATE Projections
NON-CLIMATE DATA e.g. Socio-economic data
3 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
Climate information can take many different or have unrealistic expectations for, how climate forms, based on the type of information available, information fits into their decision-making process. capacities to access and analyse the information For example, a common belief within decision- and the intended use of the information. Table 1 making and practitioner communities is that presents a range of different sources of climate successful adaptation necessitates increasingly information, including how each source can be accurate and precise information on the future obtained and how it can be used in CRWM. This impacts of climate change. As a result, Dessai et al. typology is not exhaustive – it simply provides a (2009) ask if effective adaptation is ‘tied to the ability starting point in looking at ways to integrate climate of the scientific enterprise to predict future climate information into water management based on the with accuracy and precision’ (p. 64). types of data available. The Annex presents a list of This raises the question of exactly how much online sources of climate information, covering a climate information is needed for effective range of different types and forms. climate policy and action. Accurate and precise information is difficult to produce because climate 2.2. Climate information and the change is a global phenomenon. Downscaling water resource management sector climate projections made at the global, regional WRM involves planning and using water resources and national levels is expensive, time-consuming in a manner that optimises their use relative to and data-intensive, and introduces additional a predetermined set of preferred outcomes. uncertainty. Ideally, this will be a cross-sectoral, open, flexible Climate change is, by its very nature, uncertain. process that brings all stakeholders to the table These uncertainties are a result of limitations to set policy and make sound, balanced decisions in knowledge and the poor predictability of the in response to specific water challenges. Well- human factors that contribute to climate change developed WRM systems not only address urban, (Dessai et al., 2009). Dessai et al. state that, ‘some agricultural and industrial use but also incorporate of these uncertainties can be quantified, but many environmental uses. simply cannot, meaning that there is some level WRM has been implemented to varying degrees of irreducible ignorance in our understandings in various countries; it is best established in of future climate’ (p. 67). These uncertainties are water-limited areas with strong governance further complicated by the fact that processes systems and ample climate data and information beyond climate change, such as urbanisation, to inform trade-offs and decisions. While lack of population growth and cultural change, influence climate data and information has not necessarily outcomes targeted by decision-making processes prevented decision-making on climate change (Dessai et al., 2009). Some policy-makers use the and climate-related issues, academics have uncertainties around climate change (and the lack argued that climate-related policy and adaptive of high-accuracy projections) as an excuse for management decisions need to be grounded inaction, or even to deny it is a problem. in science to be effective (Lemos et al., 2012; Singh et al., 2017). Climate information can be 2.3. Using climate information for used to reduce vulnerability to climate extremes water resource management and variability as it provides warnings and helps Fortunately, starting with accurate, precise, highly identify opportunities on which to base planning detailed and locally focused climate projections and policy (Feldman and Ingram, 2011). (which are essentially impossible to produce) is not the only way to incorporate climate information While short-term forecasting of climate-related into WRM. Indeed, there are many more effective extreme events has seen many successes, the use starting points. Garcia et al. (2014) put forth of long-term climate information in planning and several alternative approaches to account for policy for climate change adaptation and resilience climate risk in the WRM sector. These approaches is challenging, and often not actively pursued rely on top-down climate information, but also (Jones et al., 2015; Vincent et al., 2015; Singh et start from asking, ‘What is the decision at hand, al., 2017). Lemos et al. (2012) attribute this to the and how does climate change factor into this ‘usability gap’, arguing that this gap lies at both the decision?’ before scaling climate information to top and the bottom. That is, climate information is inform that decision. rarely used because its producers fail to consider users’ decision-making needs and to adapt their Alternatively, Dessai et al. (2009) suggest data products to address these. Meanwhile, users a scenarios-based approach for managing of climate information often either do not know, uncertainty. This requires decision-makers to
4 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action continued > continued Potential constraints Potential of theThe majority perceived climate will beinformation observed, semi- quantitative or is critical tospeculative. It isverify whatever data extent to the obtained canpossible. Perception be influenced by expectation or desire. alsoPolicy-makers can its validity.question to bewill need Data ‘owner’ the acquired by cost) at a significant (often need to be may also and othercombined with cleaned andsources, verified before use. or Smaller datasets manually collected data moremay require checking. onDatasets based combined data will need reviewed,to be carefully offsets discrepancies, and data conflicting and/or resolved. Historical conditions – what kind ofwhat – Historical conditions events, including extreme weather, be expected should been have weather events how – Trends trendsin Changes over time. changing change.climate can result from owe to also However, they can or otheruse changes development, land processes change levels – i.e. the measurement Thresholds seriouscause events climate at which harm How is it used? is How is unavailable,data Where measured data, verified collected perception carefully discussion with independent through best the often stakeholders, is multiple perception data Or, available. data climate can often validate and provide local detail data. It can measured to relevance and forused to define local thresholds be also a solidgeneral, it can provide risk. In proposed any for ‘real-life’ grounding 2018). al., (Tanner et measure CRWM measuredto use The simplest ways at:look are to data climate • • • can helpAll three of these approaches communities events for which identify thesupport and can prepared be to need of CRWM measures. design How is it obtained? is How intentionally collected Most useful when group systematically through focus and other or surveys and using discussions through either is verified Ideally, it tools. from multiplereports similar independent or by cross- or communities groups data.measured against checking Most often collected at weather stations and precipitation and thermometers using or with stream gauges using gauges, wind water heightsensors or manual pressure readings. byHistorically, climate data was collected it isIncreasingly, on site. hand by someone collected remotely and transmittedbeing for storage and location central to a analysis. Perception and awareness of climate events awareness of climate and Perception data/measured climate data Meteorological Typology of climate information Casual observation: ‘We get rain fromCasual observation: ‘We get rain December’ to September flood a we had ‘In 2001 Semi-quantitative: water came up the November and on 14th this doorway’ on this high andplanting ‘I’ve recorded Quantitative: the past 30harvest dates for my crops seasongrowing the see can years, and I changing’ timing is rain, butmore get to Speculative: ‘We used going and that’s why wells are drier now it’s dry’ What is it? Type of climate information: documentation of climateEncompasses by locals. This includes: events • • • • Type of climate information: asof variables such measurements Includes wind speed,temperature, rainfall, humidity, direction, evaporation, soil moisture andwind flow. river data’‘time series is often referred to as It – i.e. intervals at regular is collected because it etc. day or hour, every Table 1: Table
5 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action Potential constraints Potential because they areModels, mathematical of naturalsimplifications havealways systems, theirin some uncertainty inresults. The uncertainty results generallymodel increases the further into future they project. the The accuracy of model results is often shouldand questioned, helpbe used to conditions,understand beingrather than ‘truth’. It the presented as tois important communicate what model canthe questions cannot answer.and not are Future projections forecasts. They are, at estimates aboutbest, if ahappen what could ofwide range aboutassumptions andbehaviour human development paths come However, mostto pass. areprojections than better substantially aboutno information in thewhat may happen future. How is it used? is How abuilt (often as are generally Models questiona specific answer project itself) to like for thewill the weather be – e.g. what where given river level, for a days; five next strong monsoon we get a will will it flood; this season? and forecast- both The output from verybe outcome-type climate models can risk, and exposure understanding useful in or preparedness in identifying needed ofdesign informing the in capacities and responses. adaptive used to supportbe can Future projections and planning mitigation and adaptation alternative developmenthelp explore paths. based onprojections Because these are future conditions about assumptions rather than forecasts, it is important not for ajust to look at the average value intotake to also but projection future account the possible range of conditions indicated by the models. For this reason, in projections are often best used future or thresholdwith scenario conjunction Box 1). (described in approaches How is it obtained? is How and past both Measured data, including tois required climate variables, current levelmodels. The climate run build and on will depend of data required type and model to the you want question the generally accuracy Model answer. of the accuracy increased improves with on which it relies. Accuracydata measured ofincreased by means be data can of systems, verification quality control and time-step (e.g.a finer collected at being beingday) or of every hour instead every (e.g. resolution collected at a finer spatial of meteorological stationsgreater number in a given geography). fromobtained are Future projections (GCMs), which Models Circulation Global or regional models can be refined using provide moreto statistical downscaling givenfor a detailed information geographical location. modelsforecast similar to very GCMs are 20evaluate conditions designed to but are As a result,the future. into or more years about conditionsassumptions rely on they land use,in that future (e.g. population, futureaffect gases) that greenhouse outputs areGCM this reason, For climate. i.e. possible– referred to as ‘projections’ – not forecasts. outcomes future (continued) Forecast and outcome modelling (current conditions, future conditions from days to months from now) months from to conditions from days (current conditions, future Forecast and outcome modelling climate (20–100 years from now) future Modelling of Typology of climate information Forecast type models use current and pastcurrent and Forecast type models use previous) to forecast(see data climate weather or climate on differentfuture timeframes, including short-term forecasts);forecasting (e.g. daily weather flood(i.e. event forecasting extreme (e.g.forecasting forecasting); seasonal it will be early monsoon forecasts, whether weak) or strong or late, type climate outcome Sector-specific toinput an data as climate models use outcomes to weather sectoral predict (i.e. not models e.g. flood impact events, water be’ but ‘if the the will ‘how high be’), will the impacts what high is this models, etc.economic models, agricultural What is it? Type of climate information: of models that producetypes There are many information. Inor climate-related climate particular: • • Type of climate information: to projectionsclimate’ refers here ‘Future conditions 20–100climate possible about from now.years the one category of climate informationThis is about future climatethat is always in this table other three categories couldchange. The it isof climate change, but elements include identifygenerally difficult or impossible to orshifts in current exactly what has caused most locations,In climate. weather and past –at work processes there are many change land use changes, development, including effectsgrowth, urban heat island population mimic or overwhelm climate– that others and change signals. Table 1: Table
6 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
assess potential adaptation options ‘over a wide Ultimately, what climate change information is range of plausible futures driven by uncertainty required to achieve policy and planning goals, about the future state of climate and many other what climate information is available and how economic, political and cultural factors’ (p. 75) and that climate change information is used are to choose adaptation options that are robust across context-dependent. Wilby et al. (2009) state scenarios. Climate information certainly informs that ‘entry points for mainstreaming scenario these scenarios but does not need to be accurate information in adaptation planning depend or precise, and is considered in the context of its on the country-level technical and financial uncertainties. Box 1 details scenario analysis and capacity, scale of risk(s), as well as the timing other tools for incorporating climate information and type(s) of adaptation being considered’ into WRM. (p. 1211).
Box 1: Tools for integrating climate information into water resource management
Some tools for making climate information usable and for integrating it into WRM are as follows:
In scenario analysis for climate resilience, stakeholders identify a range of possible future climate conditions that they could reasonably expect. These future conditions could be based on perceptions of how conditions have been changing; measured trends in temperature, rainfall amount or timing, crop water demand, etc.; modelled seasonal forecasts, etc.; or future climate projections. The goal, for whatever condition is selected, is to identify a possible range of both possible climate conditions and possible behavioural responses. Stakeholders then explore how each proposed action would behave across the range of climate conditions. Climate scenarios are most useful when you consider broad changes that are expected to occur. To develop scenarios of future climate risk, the community should explore the types of weather events that are currently problematic (or disastrous) and think about how an increase in frequency or severity of those events might affect the community. In some cases, actions may perform well at one severity level but deliver no benefits or even be detrimental at other severity levels.
The thresholds approach identifies events that are already a problem and explores mitigation strategies, adaptations and other capacities currently in use to address those problems. A key part of this analysis lies in determining how those strategies need to change if events become more intense or frequent. If there is information about trends or rates of change of temperature, precipitation events, growing seasons, etc. that can be used to inform this process, this information can be incorporated. In moderate- to high-data environments, it may be possible to identify how frequent or intense current problem events are. In very data-rich environments, it may be possible to work with climate models to tailor future climate projections specifically to the identified thresholds and look at how current frequency or intensity of these events is projected to change.
Actions to reduce vulnerability and increase resilience are often selected based on events that occur at a certain severity or frequency. The thresholds approach directly addresses climate change by looking for approaches that will address changes in historic problem events. Some proposed actions may provide benefits regardless of the severity of the event, making them more appealing to the community. Alternately, there may be small modifications that can be made that would enhance a proposed action to work at multiple scales of changing severity and frequency, raising its value.
Hazard Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (HRVA) is a method to help any stakeholder to understand the risks they face locally and make risk-based choices to address vulnerabilities, mitigate hazards and prepare for hazard events. It involves a mix of methods and tools for collecting and using climate information, such as scenario development, risk ranking, hazard and resource mapping. It is often used at the local level to support communities to prepare for extreme events and can be solely based on their perceptions and subjective views. However, measured data can also be used and considered during the assessment and decision-making process.
7 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
This adaptive, scenario and priority-based scenarios. From here, options can be generated approach to integrating climate information as to how best to allocate water across sectors into WRM requires learning and collaboration. and subsectors, increase the availability of Mutual learning enabled through collaboration surface and groundwater and reduce water and adaptive management is critically important demand under conditions of projected short- in making climate information more usable for and longer-term climate impacts. decision support (Feldman and Ingram, 2011; 2. Management of extreme events: The Lemos et al., 2012). Only repeated iteration approaches under this category are a) between climate information ‘producers’ and integrated flood management and b) drought ‘users’ will result in climate information that is management. Flood management consists 1) within the capacity of the producer community of reducing flood risk, implementing flood to produce and 2) tailored to the decision needs control measures, undertaking advance flood of the user community. This collaboration and preparation and conducting flood rescue and learning also entails integrating top-down sources post-flood rehabilitation. Drought management of climate information with bottom-up sources consists of advance drought preparation and of climate information on vulnerability, exposure, post-drought rehabilitation. Climate information adaptive capacity and sensitivity. This will help can be incorporated into these approaches by ensure that climate impacts on communities strengthening forecasting and integrating revised and entry points for building community-level risk models with climate change scenario analysis resilience are taken into consideration. to identify at-risk populations. 3. Supporting environment: The entry-points 2.4. Different approaches to CRWM in which can be used for enabling CRWM in any the ACT programme governance context include a) policies, b) budgets ACT is supporting government partners in South and c) institutions. The goal is to generate a Asia to use climate information to inform the supporting environment that is informed by and design and delivery of CRWM policy and practice consistently draws on climate information. For in different ways, and in different contexts. example, national and state water policies and ACT divides approaches to CRWM into three plans to support watershed management need categories: to be designed based on hydro-meteorological 1. Water resource management: The prediction and water resource assessments approaches under this category are a) overlaid on climate change scenarios. They water resource assessment, b) water should also promote the development of supply augmentation and c) water demand robust early warning systems. Designing such a management. Some of the ways in which supporting environment involves strengthening climate information is used under these data management systems within government approaches includes assessing water resource and capacity-building to produce and use climate availability and demand in the context of information. agricultural value chains, as well as assessing Table 2 summarises examples of ACT’s different current and future water needs across sectors approaches to using and producing climate by overlaying hydrologic model data on information in the context of supporting CRWM at simulations of short- and longer-term climate the national and subnational level.
Water management structure over bridge in Patna, Bihar, India.
8 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
Table 2: ACT projects and their use of climate information
Name of ACT Climate data used/ Climate-related Climate analysis Policy output project produced models used/ used/produced produced
District Uses measured data Climate change Scenario analysis Recommendations integrated on current water projections to to understand for integrated irrigation and usage for baseline determine impact of implications for planning between agriculture climate change on agriculture and agriculture and planning, rainfall irrigation water Odisha (India) departments
Water resource Uses measured Overlaying water Basin-wide Strategies for assessment, hydrogeological data balance modelling of baseline water effective and Chhattisgarh from different Mahanadi Basin with balance CRWM for (India) agencies: rainfall, existing climate assessment and Chhattisgarh stream flows, change scenarios on estimates under groundwater data water resources and future climate extreme events for change scenario the basin
Water demand Uses secondary Existing downscaled Estimates of the Recommendations assessment sources of data on GCM outputs for impacts of for demand-side (Pakistan) water supply and northern and climate change management demand from southern Pakistan on sectoral activities, etc. different sectors, as used to estimate demand for water well as expert impact on water 2025 and 2050 stakeholder demand in 2025 and perceptions on 2050 impact assessment
Climate- Uses measured data N/A Value chain Crop-specific Water resource management Water resource resilient on agriculture and analysis of strategies to agriculture, water from secondary different crops address risks and Assam (India) sources of data demands from including Assam value chain Statistical Handbook analysis and the Economic Survey
Water Supports community N/A Analysis on water Guidelines for budgeting tool, to collect existing ‘budget’ available local-level Maharashtra measured data on (supply minus planning in times (India) rainfall, groundwater, demand) under of low rainfall soil type, etc. and average and low produce and map rainfall conditions new data
Mahanadi river Uses measured Soil and Water Flood forecasting Set up early flood current precipitation Assessment Tool assessment warning system forecasting, levels from weather (SWAT) to plot and (EWS) to expand Odisha (India) stations as input to predict water advance notice model movements in the from 8 to 36–72 main upstream hours catchment area. Hydrologic Engineering Centre – River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) model to analyse whether forecasted
Management of extreme events Management flood can pass safely downstream
9 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
Name of ACT Climate data used/ Climate-related Climate analysis Policy output project produced models used/ used/produced produced
Urban flood Uses measured data N/A Value chain Crop-specific management to prepare hazard analysis of strategies to along maps, and community different crops address risks and Brahmaputra engagement tools demands from and Barak, (e.g. Shared Learning value chain Assam (India) Dialogues) to analysis understand causes of
(continued) flooding and vulnerabilities
Silt Uses measured N/A Estimates of Sediment management in existing hydrological quantities of silt Management Kosi River, data on river flow, in the Kosi river Policy Framework Bihar (India) sediment load data and chemical and satellite imagery composition of silt
Climate Uses secondary data Secondary data on Summary of key Recommendations screening on temperature and climate change climate variables on how the JSA Jalyukt Shivar rainfall averages for projections and and projected can incorporate Abhiyan (JSA) regions from existing impacts for 2030 for climate change climate variables Management of extreme events Management drought climate assessment different regions, impacts for and projected programme, report from existing climate different regions climate change Maharashtra assessment report (India)
Climate- Measured data on Secondary data on Analysis on Recommendations resilient water rainfall and water climate change current and for climate- strategy availability projections (e.g. future impacts of resilient water (Afghanistan) CORDEX models) climate change strategy on water sector
Integrated Hydro-meteorological N/A N/A AWS data made Automated data from AWS more accessible Weather collected by different for inclusion in Stations (AWS), departments is made policy analysis Bihar (India) accessible to other users
National Uses existing New modelling on Assessment of Prioritised Adaptation Plan measured data on future scenario of vulnerability to adaptation (NAP) (Nepal) water resources and climate change and climate change, options for water hydro-meteorological its implications for and cost-benefit resources data ‘ground-truthed’ water resources at analysis of through HRVA the national level adaptation Supporting environment options
Climate change New perception- N/A Statistical analysis Survey report with impact survey based survey of of impacts of evidence base for (Nepal) climate impacts climate change improving conducted in 5,060 on water adaptation policy households across resources as and practice the country reported by households
10 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
3. Learning from ACT: The constraints to integrating climate information into water resource management, and how to overcome them
This section explores key constraints to integrating to share their data as there are gaps in their climate information into WRM experienced by ACT’s datasets that they were afraid they would be asked initiatives in South Asia (summarised in Table 2), to help clean. Frequent changes in government and key enablers that have helped in overcoming and bureaucracy can further delay access to these challenges. data. In Assam, Odisha and Maharashtra, the key to obtaining data was the support of high-level 3.1. Availability, reliability and government officials who enabled and authorised accessibility of climate data its collection. In Assam, state government offices were open to sharing data – the programme Key constraints was a technical assistance programme for the A key challenge across the majority of ACT’s work government and there was therefore already on CRWM lies in obtaining robust climate data. government buy-in at the state level – but the city Common issues encountered in the programme government was not. Data access was further include: complicated by the fact that city governments Data may be incomplete or inconsistent. In maintained datasets haphazardly in paper records, Afghanistan, for example, little to no climate making it extremely difficult to decipher and data exists for 1980–2000, owing to the civil war compile data. and other political strife. Similarly, in Assam, Available data can be expensive. In some cases, precipitation data had multiple years of data data is available and maintained in usable missing within datasets, and data was not uniformly formats by a dedicated agency authorised by the available across all four cities where flood planning government (e.g. the Maharashtra Remote Sensing was taking place (Dibrugarh, Majuli, Silchar and Application Centre) but it is possible to access this Jorhat). Existing data had also not been ground- only by purchasing it at a substantial cost. If there truthed. is a prior agreement between the agency and the Databases of climate data (e.g. hydro-met data) are government department involved in the work, this not centrally maintained. National and state-level cost can sometimes be waived. databases are incomplete in many ACT locations. Data requires substantial cleaning, requiring Those that exist are often not accessible to the staff capacity and time. In areas where multiple public, data is often not digitised and data-sharing is agencies are collecting data but central data not streamlined. For example, in Odisha and Assam, repositories are lacking, the compilation of one a varied of stakeholders, both government and non- useable dataset from multiple, unstandardised government, collected and maintained climate data. datasets is a significant, time-consuming challenge. In Assam, ACT staff had to reach out to a variety Data collection varies according to capacity and of state departments, district-level forest officers, purpose across sectors and scales of government. municipal corporations and tea plantations for data. In Afghanistan, for example, climate data Much of this data was stored as paper records and infrastructure is poor, with few rain gauges and needed to be digitised to be usable. weather stations, and the people recording the Obtaining data is challenging. Requesting data is data are often not trained on how to properly time-consuming, and there is no guarantee that collect and input it into existing databases. In requests will be honoured. For ACT’s programme in Pakistan, there were discrepancies in secondary India, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) data sources; different reports gave different data has been willing to share data; however, securing on basic climate variables. These shortcomings are access at the subnational level has been more further complicated by a lack of metadata – that problematic. Some departments have been hesitant is, information on how the data was collected,
11 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
what instruments were used, how the instruments over 50 km2 do not provide the level of precision were set up and who collected the data. Data people want or expect (Rummukainen, 2016). can also look different when it is collected by and Downscaling introduces additional uncertainty into for different purposes across sectors and scales. the resulting climate information. The demand In Odisha, for the Mahanadi Flood Forecasting for highly granular, sector-specific data is driving initiative and the District Integrated Irrigation and a push to downscale GCM data. Downscaling is a Agriculture Planning, the same parameters did process that creates high-resolution information not match between datasets, and it was difficult from low-resolution information. With GCM data, to accurately clean and collate the data into one this means producing high spatial resolution data consistent, usable dataset that could be used to from the relatively low spatial resolution GCM produce credible climate information. output. Downscaling is done either dynamically or Overcoming constraints statistically. Dynamical downscaling uses a Regional Circulation Model that is very similar to a GCM but When certain climate datasets are not available, for a smaller, regional, area and using a smaller grid there are often alternatives that can be used. size. Results provide more local detail. Statistical Challenges accessing data have led many ACT downscaling uses data from one particular place to projects to minimise the need for subnational establish a relationship between the GCM output climate datasets, and they have instead integrated and conditions at that location. climate projections made at a national or regional level. In Pakistan, Assam, Afghanistan and For both dynamical and statistical downscaling, the Maharashtra, ACT has relied on secondary data assumption is that downscaled climate information such as global climate model projections, peer will enable more accurate understanding of review articles and non-ACT project and programme climate impacts at the local level, and thus reports that are focused on short- and long-term better information for local planning. This is not climate trends. In Assam, ACT conducted HRVAs, necessarily true. Because downscaling begins with which combined perceptions of hazard risk and GCM outputs, there is already a layer of modelling measured climate data to help close the data gap. assumption and some amount of uncertainty being used as a model input. This then goes through 3.2. Analysing climate data to produce another layer of modelling in the downscaling, climate information and analysis which has its own assumptions and creates its own layer of uncertainty. The result is a more spatially Key constraints refined output, but one with potentially more Data gaps and duplicate data may exist. A lack of uncertainty than GCM output alone. accurate, complete data poses challenges in data analysis. If data has significant gaps or is short term, Overcoming constraints it cannot be used to model climate change or to Build local capacity to work with and understand accurately identify climate trends. More data is not climate data and information. Governments always helpful, however. In Pakistan, secondary must understand the uncertainty inherent in the sources provided conflicting analyses of long-term data, and understand the information the data is climate change trends. One set of studies, utilising conveying, in order to be able to use it effectively. long-term data (e.g. over 100 years), showed However, it is often more likely to be local little change in precipitation; other studies, using research institutes and consultants, rather than 10–25 years of data, showed significant shifts in the governments, that actually use climate data, run monsoon. The analyses were dependent on the models and produce climate analysis. ACT supports timeframe examined and the perspective of the and trains local consultants to conduct data analyst, which made it challenging to choose which collection and analysis and to be able to provide projections to use. ongoing support to government staff to use climate models and information. GCM data is often considered too coarse to be useful. GCMs are built on very coarse grids; the Build government trust in climate modelling. In cell size in a GCM model is usually 50–200 km Chhattisgarh, there was significant resistance to because smaller grid sizes would make the models overlaying climate projections on water balance too complex and model run times far too long to studies to come up with a plan to allocate water be usable. However, for many parts of the world, resources in the context of competing water particularly along coasts or in areas with significant demands and climate change scenarios. The climate topographic variation, average weather conditions information indicated increasing variability of
12 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
precipitation but did not show exactly what would ‘Ground-truth’ climate modelling. To build the happen with climate change – for example how confidence and trust of governments in climate the frequency and intensity of droughts would information, particularly that generated through increase, how river flows would be affected and climate modelling, it is sometimes useful to so on. Although government stakeholders were illustrate that model results reflect the perceptions open to new methods and approaches for policy and experiences of local communities. For example, and planning, they were uncomfortable with the in Nepal, to inform decision-making on the National uncertainty surrounding the climate information Adaptation Plan (NAP), ACT used existing measured this new approach generated. The programme has water resources data and supported new modelling tried to build government stakeholders’ capacity of future climate change scenarios and their and understanding on the limitations and use of implications for water resources. However, ACT climate information, and there is now much greater also contrasted and compared these findings with trust in ACT’s analysis. HRVA results from a sample of locations across
Box 2: Odisha early warning system
The Mahanadi Flood Forecasting Model in Odisha represents a specific example of how to navigate the labyrinthine process of collecting data and obtaining government buy-in. Both WRM and agriculture are extremely important sectors in Odisha that are seeing severe impacts as a result of climate change. Regular floods occur in the Mahanadi River Basin. The team did not start with a fixed model; rather, it weighed up the various model options, taking into account the data available, efforts needed and outputs required. In the end, the team was confident that the only way a flood model would work was if the entire basin was taken into consideration, not just the Odisha part. A draft scoping study was provided to the Water Resources Department, chalking out the climatic and other data required to develop the model, as well as the various agencies, each of which had parts of the data. This data covered temperature and rainfall patterns, river gauge locations, man-made interventions, land-use patterns, soil patterns and digital elevation, among others. The ACT team took up the responsibility to collect the data from the various agencies but at the same time obtained the necessary authorisations from the Water Resource Department to collect such data on its behalf. Thus, from the very beginning, project ownership was established immaterial of who did the actual groundwork. The data, when obtained, presented a new set of problems: gaps, mismatches between multiple sources and clear errors. In some cases, data was purposefully withheld for different inter- departmental reasons, and it was necessary to use persuasion to get it shared with the team. The ACT team worked in a pragmatic, technical and politically savvy way to address concerns and navigate the structures of authority, using many technical and contextual iterations, such as data recalibration, continuous collection, correction, sanitisation and recollection for modelling. The team identified the right decision-making structures to work with and presented the data and a roadmap for the work professionally and effectively. Many rounds of discussions were held to build confidence on the effectiveness of the model even before starting the development of basin-wide hydrological modelling. The Principal Secretary of the Water Resources Department approved the model during an important meeting with ACT, stating that he appreciated ACT’s work and asking if the calibration of the model could be improved. The demonstration also opened up other areas of WRM work, which the Principal Secretary asked the Water Resources Department to embark upon immediately. The model was recalibrated and presented to the government in December 2016, leading to a decision by the Chief Minister of Odisha to launch it in a timely manner as the political situation in the state demanded that the government highlight its efforts on Mahanadi management. The model was launched in June 2017 and is being implemented in the Hirakud Dam Project and the Flood Management and Information System in the Water Resource Department, where it is presently being field-tested and continuously being improved upon.
13 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
the country. Although this required an additional long-term phenomenon, whereas governments investment of time and resources, it provided a have short-term priorities they need to address more comprehensive and complete picture for the regarding water scarcity, poverty, infrastructure government and they were more confident in using and so on. Governments are managing competing the findings. demands, and climate change is just one of many priorities, and often perceived as an intangible one 3.3. Using climate information and at that. analysis to produce CRWM policy As a result, ACT has focused more directly on Key constraints immediate issues and subtly woven in climate change where there are synergies with short- Governments want clarity and specificity. term needs. In Odisha, for the District Integrated Although government partners regularly work Irrigation and Agriculture Planning project, with uncertainty in markets, economic projections, this meant focusing on immediate issues of population estimates and many other parameters, flood control and irrigation planning and using when it comes to climate, particularly future 2020 and 2030 climate scenarios to explore climate, they are often uncomfortable with those issues rather than 2050 scenarios, which uncertainty. As a result, even where there is feel too far-off to be meaningful. Other ACT relatively reliable climate information, if this lacks interventions have utilised climate information to specificity, stakeholders sometimes reject it, help governments with stated goals and targets, claiming they need further granularity or certainty. for example making watershed planning more For example, in Maharashtra, the government efficient by using climate information to identify wanted highly granular information on climate where to establish water storage or increase impacts by sector and initially questioned the groundwater recharge. validity and utility of broader-level climate change data ACT had obtained from secondary data Be clear on the purpose, and limitations, of the sources. climate information. Effective communication with government partners, as well as formal training, can Perception and bias can also lead to errors. help ensure expectations are aligned. This is not It is not uncommon for climate data or climate always straightforward. In Odisha, to develop the information to not align with on-the-ground flood forecasting system, ACT conducted capacity- experiences. It is important to examine whether building trainings to shift the mindsets of flood there are perception or bias errors before managers from a reactive response to a proactive assuming the data is at fault. For example, farmers forecast-based response. However, there was some may communicate that summers are drier than initial push-back against the model developed; it they used to be and streamflow is reduced, yet was highly accurate for flood forecasting, but, like precipitation data may show rainfall frequency all models, had a degree of error. The model was and intensity is basically unchanged. This does also designed and calibrated for flood conditions not necessarily mean the core perception – and was not particularly predictive during low-flow streamflow is reduced – is incorrect. Nor does periods, giving department staff the opportunity it necessarily mean the climate data or climate to question its accuracy. Consistent engagement, analysis is incorrect. Instead, it may be pointing to along with endorsement from government other contextual factors and changes, for example champions who understand the value of this type changes in groundwater pumping or upstream land of climate information and modelling, has been key use or water diversions, both of which could change to generating support for the model, maintaining streamflow irrespective of rainfall. stakeholder interest and communicating how Overcoming constraints climate information can be used within the context of its uncertainty. Start with issues governments care about and then include climate change. A key enabler of the Extreme climate events can provide an entry use of climate information in the ACT programme point for engaging with the government on is that the technical support is all demand-driven. CRWM. Demand for climate information stems Often, governments do not request assistance partly from international debates but is more with climate change, but rather require technical directly spurred by experiences with climate assistance on a ‘development’ issue – like water extremes. For example, Assam had two severe budgeting and irrigation planning – that has a floods in 2017, which raised people’s awareness climate dimension but not necessarily a climate of and interest in climate. People are often open focus. This is not surprising; climate change is a to climate information when they see that very
14 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
Hirakud dam on Mahanadi river, Odisha, India.
palpable losses may arise from sudden-onset and variance. VCA does not require downscaled extreme events like floods. information; rather, broader-scale climate projections and local perceptions of hazard risk Demand for climate information needs to be provide enough climate risk information on which assessed against the ‘need’ for such information. to base crop options. Not every climate information demand needs to be filled. In Maharashtra, ACT pushed back against the government’s desire for granular data 3.4. Wider political economy context by emphasising that the ACT demand-side water Key constraints budgeting tool would help people address changes in rainfall regardless of what happened with water Poor coordination and communication constrain supply (Box 3). access to climate data and the use of climate information. Both climate change and WRM span Make it easy to incorporate climate information sectors and scales, and, as a result, involve multiple into decisions. One of the ways ACT encourages line ministries and departments (agriculture, water the use of climate information is through the management, civil works, etc.). Each of these has development of decision support tools. In its own processes, data and tools, and they are not Maharashtra and Assam, ACT has integrated quick to share with other agencies. ACT’s work has climate change information into Value Chain to be rooted and led by one ministry or department Analysis (VCA) for agriculture, to produce a set of (it is not possible to work across all) but this agency tangible interventions that address both immediate usually does not have purview over the processes priorities and long-term adaptation needs. VCA and decisions of other agencies, which means that is a standard economic tool that takes market progress can be delayed or suddenly set back by actors, inputs, outputs and processes into account the decisions of others. to deliver a product or service for the market, and also highlights where there are blockages or Institutional and governance constraints limit opportunities along the value chain. ACT used this basin-scale action. Poor coordination, both methodology to identify crop-specific strategies in across sectors and across scales, limits learning, the context of market needs and dynamics, local understanding of climate data and production of ecology, ongoing development pressures and climate information, and hinders governments’ climate uncertainty for a variety of agro-ecological ability to integrate planning and action and work zones. By integrating climate information, market at the basin scale. For example, in Afghanistan, decisions can be made considering not only market groundwater usage is poorly regulated across dynamics but also longer-term climate impacts sectors. Acting on this requires cross-sector
15 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
Box 3: Water budgeting tool
The water budgeting tool developed by the Watershed Trust Organisation (WOTR) and ACT, and adopted and now being used by the government of Maharashtra, is a decision support tool targeted at rural agrarian communities to make informed water allocation and use decisions in the context of the Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan (JSA) programme, a large-scale water conservation programme in Maharashtra. The tool is being used to get communities involved in WRM decision-making and to ensure WRM decisions take drinking water and livelihood needs into account. As such, the water budgeting tool is helping: • Identify opportunities for additional water harvesting and augmentation; • Prioritise water use allocation for drinking, agriculture and livelihoods; and • Establish rules that ensure equitable access and sustainable use of water resources. Shared learning is an approach to participatory planning and problem-solving in complex situations, characterised by non-extractive, mutual learning among participants. The concept is straightforward: fostering iterative deliberation and sharing of sector- or group-specific knowledge and knowledge from both local practitioners and external experts will improve the quality and effectiveness of decision- making. Shared learning processes, when iteratively and carefully enacted, can also help break down established disciplinary and psychological divides and assist decision-makers to identify possible interventions, target potential constraints and set priorities. The water budgeting tool consists of a Water Budgeting Manual and an accompanying Training Module. This tool was developed for government staff, development practitioners, promoters and village resource persons. The tool consists of a series of calculations that can be used to determine water allocation under three scenarios: normal rainfall, recent low rainfall and high rainfall. The input for the tool is basic rainfall data. The government has adopted the manual to be used by government staff and facilitators who are responsible for implementing ‘Jal Shaksharta Abhiyan’, the water literacy campaign of the JSA. The manual draws on government literature and manuals and incorporates the appropriate technical practices and mechanisms followed by departments involved in soil and water conservation and irrigation management, to facilitate quick adoption of the water budgeting methodology. It delves into the types of data required for water budgeting, how to use this data to calculate water balances and how water balances should inform water budgeting and allocation decisions. The manual also identifies institutional mechanisms that should be developed at the village level to ensure decisions made are implemented and enforced. The Training Module consists of 20 sessions spread over 4 days to equip around 4,000 facilitators with the necessary skills to use the tool to create water budgets and use these for decision-making. The government is now rolling out the use of the tool, with trainings underway at the village level.
coordination and a supporting environment for borders. In India, for example, the Mahanadi River developing evidence-based policies, in particular Basin spans Odisha and Chhattisgarh, and water an agreement on future water scenarios which will allocation between the two states is contentious. be used as a basis for planning. In India, WRM is a Water balance studies suggesting that upstream state-level responsibility, but there are insufficient states will have a surplus of water in scenarios of incentives (from the centre or at the state level) climate change can worsen relationships between to incorporate climate change within water upstream and downstream states. These factors management and coordinate across subnational affect the availability and sharing of data between boundaries. Lack of institutional capacity, together states and countries, the types of projects donors with insufficient political will in some cases, also are willing to fund and even the issues researchers, constrains the integration of climate information donors and other stakeholders are willing to discuss. within WRM policy. Wider institutional and governance constraints Climate information is often political. This is limit the effectiveness of WRM (regardless of especially the case when it pertains to ecosystem the use of climate information). This is a more services like water, which cross state and national fundamental challenge. If water resources are
16 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
generally not being managed effectively, then Overcoming constraints adding further complexity by introducing climate Persistence and communication are key to information may not help. There are many In Maharashtra, JSA is a reasons why a WRM intervention or regime may making progress. not be working well, including lack of government large programme involving several different interest or capacity, insufficient finance or political departments, which makes coordination and commitment, etc. Adding climate information collaboration a challenge. At the request of cannot address these issues. However, there the state government, ACT and WOTR created may be occasions when climate information can a water budgeting tool to help select crops help put a spotlight on WRM and provide a more based on rainfall forecasts (see Box 3). ACT was compelling narrative around which government coordinating mainly with officials in the Water officials can engage and give a mandate to a Conservation Department who were responsible government agency to tackle the problems. for the JSA. In parallel, a different organisation However, in general, starting from a point of a delivered a similar but less climate-responsive dysfunctional WRM, and incorporating climate tool to the agriculture department. The second information to try and improve the effectiveness tool considered only normal rainfall, rather than of the intervention, will require significant low, normal and high, and did not account for soil technical and capacity support. moisture. Despite these significant omissions, the
Table 3: Summary of the key constraints and enablers in integrating climate information in WRM
Key Issue Constraints Actions to overcome constraints
Availability, reliability • Incomplete or inconsistent data • When certain climate datasets are not and accessibility of • Databases not centrally maintained available, alternatives can often be used climate data • Obtaining data a challenge • Sanitise any data obtained through statistical tools • Always find ways to authorise the collection of data through normal government channels
Analysing climate • Data gaps and duplicate data • Build local capacity to work with and data to produce • Downscaling introduces additional understand climate data and information climate information uncertainty • Build government trust in climate modelling and analysis • Speak in a language that relates climate information to day-to-day governance problems, without jargon
Using climate • Governments want clarity and • Start with issues governments care about, information and specificity and then include climate change analysis to produce • Lack of data and/or poor-quality • Be clear on the purpose and limitations of CRWM data can produce errors in the the climate information analysis • Extreme climate events can be an entry • Perception and bias can produce point for engaging with the government errors in the analysis • Demand for climate information needs to be assessed against ‘need’ for such information • Make it easy to incorporate climate information into decisions
Wider political • Poor coordination and • Persistence and communication are key to economy context communication constrain access to making progress climate data and use of climate • Strengthen the supportive enabling information environment as a central pillar of CRWM • Institutional and governance • View the timing of interventions from a constraints limit basin-scale action political angle • Climate information is often political
17 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
Water efficient agriculture practices in Assam, India.
agriculture department went ahead and chose including building systems for data collection and this second tool without adequately considering coordination across government, a central tenet ACT and WOTR’s tool. ACT is now working with the of its work on CRWM. For example, ACT worked government to revise the chosen tool to better with the Nepal Bureau of Statistics to mentor and incorporate climate information and incorporate coach the team to carry out the country’s first-ever aspects of the tool it developed. national climate change survey and to encourage Strengthen the supportive enabling environment the wider community of practice to use such as a central pillar of CRWM. ACT has made perception-based data within its climate change strengthening the enabling environment, work (Tanner et al., 2018).
18 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
4. Discussion: Working in different data environments
Climate data and information is important for policy WRM (e.g. data on sectoral water allocation and planning and implementation – but the previous demand, soil type, etc.). This data can be used for sections have shown that CRWM policy planning cutting-edge modelling, in particular producing and implementation can also take place with more localised climate projections that can limited climate data. Data availability is only one then be used for policy and planning via modes of several potential barriers to integrating climate of translation like scenarios and thresholds. In information in WRM (e.g. government capacity to locations where data is readily available, there analyse and use climate information) but requires may also be generally higher capacity to utilise a specific focus, as data availability is a prerequisite data, or at least a greater likelihood of finding for any analysis and use of climate information. champions to support efforts to integrate climate This section discusses medium- to high- and low- information into WRM. to medium-data environments – and summarises ACT’s learning on how best to use available climate Of course, what is considered high-data is data for policy planning and implementation in relative: a relatively data-rich environment in one these environments. country may be considered data-poor in other countries. As a result, even seemingly high-data 4.1. Medium- to high-data environments come with their challenges and environments constraints, and mobilising and leveraging data Characteristics of this environment appropriately may require substantial efforts. It tends to be relatively easier to incorporate ACT experience in this environment climate information into WRM in medium- to high- data environments, given the amount of data Within the ACT portfolio in South Asia, the available and the relative ease of accessibility. Mahanadi Flood Forecasting initiative in These environments often have access to Odisha is an example of the type of work that primary climate data that has been collected can be undertaken in a medium- to high-data over a long period of time, including hydro-met environment. The IMD was a key data provider, data and other sectoral data that is relevant for as it had a long history of collecting hydro-met
Climate change survey underway in Layyah, Punjab, Pakistan.
19 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
data. It was a willing partner as it was keen to of forecast-based models and how to account have data and products used and because ACT for model error and uncertainty in decision- involved it in initial workshops. The model, which making, and overall to generate buy-in for utilises temperature, precipitation, humidity and this particular use of climate data. ACT is now wind data, allows 36–72 hours of advance notice working on training government staff to use and of flooding. It is housed in the Water Resources modify the model. Department in Odisha and was calibrated using historical datasets. The accuracy of a basin- Learnings on how best to use available scale model like this will be influenced by both climate data for policy planning in this the variability of rainfall across the basin and environment the density of the Automated Weather Station • Producing climate models is an option in (AWS) network. The types of rainfall events – medium- to high-data environments if you that is, monsoonal systems vs. more localised have sufficient historical data to support model thunderstorms vs. tropical depressions – may calibration. Calibration will require a longer affect the accuracy of the results. Though the data record if the climate and/or hydrology are Mahanadi model is not currently being used to run particularly variable. future climate scenarios, it could be modified to • Producing forecasting models requires an do so. environment with reliable and extensive While the climate data was certainly there to data infrastructure for measurement and produce the flood-forecasting model, there management of data to provide real-time were challenges to institutionalising the use reliable and accessible climate data. Forecasting of climate data. ACT came across pushback builds on clearly established forecasting science, from flood managers, as the forecast-based existing model technology and the willingness model necessitated utilising climate data in a and ability of data providers to provide data different way from what they were accustomed in real time. It is reliant on a network of AWS to. Climate data had been used previously just transmitting data in real time to a central for measuring rainfall, which allowed only for location, like a national or state-level repository reactive rather than advanced forecast-based or database, from where it can feed immediately response. As a result, ACT conducted a series into a model. of capacity-building activities and consistent • Data providers need to be key stakeholders engagement to build understanding of the utility in data-driven projects. Data-driven projects
The Head of Wetlands of Kol-e-Hashmat Khan in Afghanistan discusses water resource management practices with researchers and journalists.
20 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
require a constant supply of up-to-date data. gardens; much of it was not digitised. Data needed Data providers are key for the development, to be procured directly from city and district implementation and long-term sustainability of governments, which was time-consuming. Existing such projects, and therefore should be involved datasets had gaps, did not cover whole regions throughout the course of the project. and had not been ground-truthed. Producing a • Data alone is not enough: the climate clean dataset required substantial effort, because information produced using climate data needs of data gaps and because the data had been to be usable. Medium- to high-data environments collected and reported in different ways across the have data, but this data needs to be used to different datasets. produce and translate climate information The project would have benefited from flood such that it can be used in policy and practice. hazard simulations to identify low-lying areas prone Translating climate information is an ongoing to flooding. However, ACT forwent such simulations process and requires consistent engagement because of the lack of topographic information and with information users and capacity-building to because precipitation data alone was not enough ensure they not only use the information but to understand climate and flood risk; instead, it also do so appropriately. Intermediaries and used a combination of secondary data and bottom- policy entrepreneurs may be needed to harness, up HRVA to demarcate low-lying flood areas and analyse, translate and utilise climate data and better understand flood risk and its association information. with climate trends. HRVA used local knowledge • All of the entry points identified in the low- and historic events to build hazard scenarios and to medium-data environments can also determined the capacity of communities to cope be implemented in medium- to high-data with these. environments. Often, the most persuasive projects combine data-intensive, top-down For another initiative in Assam, ACT utilised both studies with bottom-up, low-data studies. broad climate projections and locally available basic climate data on precipitation, temperature, 4.2. Low- to medium-data flood impacts and incidence of droughts to environments provide the state government with an assessment Characteristics of this environment of climate risk and vulnerability of agro-climatic zones in the state. This information was integrated Data-deficient environments tend to have little to no into a VCA to select economically viable crops data available. Where there is data, it is often difficult in the context of climate risk. The VCA tool has to access and use. Data may be spread across allowed Assam to pursue climate planning and several sectors and scales of government; data is identify practical adaptation options despite poor unlikely to be digitised. There often is not a central climate data. data repository or database, and it may be necessary to collect data from multiple sources and digitise, Learnings on how to best use available clean and combine the datasets as best possible. climate data for policy planning in this Stakeholder capacity and interest in using climate environment data may be limited. Limited understanding • Budget time for accessing and cleaning data. of climate and climate change may complicate Data is likely to be held across several agencies the process of data validation if on-the-ground and scales of government and it can be a time- perceptions of climate, influenced by other factors consuming task to access and clean it. such as development, land-use change, etc., differ • Utilise secondary data from modelling projects from what the data is saying. and other studies. This secondary data may include regional and global model results, climate ACT experience in this environment downscaling data or datasets compiled for other ACT’s Climate Resilient Flood Management for projects. Any of these sources can potentially be Cities along the Brahmaputra and Barak project in used as a means to broadly understand climate Assam is focused on developing action plans for risk in the project location. climate-resilient flood management for Dibrugarh, • Leverage qualitative sources of climate Majuli, Silchar and Jorhat. Availability of and information. Bottom-up sources of information, access to data have posed a significant challenge derived through stakeholder consultations, in this project. Data was spread across several community meetings, vulnerability and capacity government agencies and private sources like tea assessments, surveys, etc., can be very useful
21 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
A duck farmer in backwaters of Kerala, India.
for understanding hazard risk and vulnerability. in low- to medium-data environments as they This type of information can be paired with can incorporate a range of different types and broader climate projections, and perhaps tools complexities of data, be it historic, current, like climate scenarios and VCA, to develop plans trends or projections. Ultimately, these tools and policies that will be responsive to a range of allow for the identification of viable adaptation conditions. options and strategies using the best available • Consider using tools like climate scenarios data, which may be data with gaps or data that is and VCA. These tools are useful for working uncertain.
22 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
5. Recommendations: How best to integrate climate information into WRM planning
This section provides a set of 10 recommendations example, in Odisha, ACT agreed to look at climate for how best to integrate climate information into scenarios for 2020 and 2030 rather than 2050 WRM, based on learning from ACT projects (see and 2080, a far distant future that felt irrelevant Figure 2). These are targeted at those seeking to to government staff responding to immediate design and implement CRWM programmes and demands. projects that utilised climate information. 3: Map existing available data and determine 1: Work with government and stakeholders to who has it. Frequently, multiple entities, both align supply and demand for climate information. governmental and non-government, collect and The climate information a project needs to use or maintain climate data. In Assam, data mapping was produce will depend on the purpose of the project critical to the urban flood management planning and the wider data and institutional capacity process, to determine what data was needed context. Climate information that is not requested and how it could be accessed or obtained. This or does not meet government-defined goals will showed that data was held at the district and city likely go unused over the long term. levels and also among tea gardens, and that it needed to be requested in person. In data-deficient At the same time, government-defined goals for environments, mapping can help maximise the use climate information need to be in line with what of non-traditional sources. In some cases, letters of is actually achievable in the given context; for request from high-level officials will be required; in example, do not introduce highly complex models others, stakeholders have to be approached directly that require significant climate data infrastructure to make the request. In medium- to high-data if either the underlying data or the capacity to use environments, data mapping can help identify what it are lacking. It is also not advisable to commit data there is and prevent the collection of duplicate to producing downscaled climate information data or introducing parallel structures for collecting to inform policy and planning without first data. determining if granular data is necessary. Existing global, regional or national projections may provide 4: Engage and work with climate champions in enough information to move forward without government. Poor coordination in government introducing additional uncertainty and complexity. constrains access to climate data and the ability to In general, it is important to be clear with the pursue evidence-based WRM. Climate champions government on the purpose of any information at high levels can enhance access to key decision- requested to ensure it will be used, and to ensure makers and garner commitments from different ‘supply’ and ‘demand’ are aligned. agencies to share data and learning. They can also be key to scaling out the use of climate information. 2: Obtain government buy-in by using entry points In Maharashtra, a champion in government has via their existing priorities and appropriate time invited ACT to train 4,000 water volunteers on water frames. This also requires that those expected to conservation and create water champions. This has ‘use’ the climate information are key stakeholders presented an entry point for ACT to scale out the in its production. This means researchers water budgeting tool and share learning emerging and scientists need to work with government from its work. stakeholders on their key priorities, which are often immediate and short term. In India, for example, 5: Allocate sufficient time for data compilation, ACT offered state governments technical assistance cross-checking and cleaning. Collecting climate on WRM and state governments identified critical data from a range of agencies, and cleaning it to issues (and, from these, the ones that required the point that it is ready to use, takes substantial ACT’s assistance). These issues were not necessarily time and effort. Short-cutting this process can ‘climate’ issues; rather, they were an entry point for undermine project results. Particularly in data-poor addressing climate risk. This is also important to and/or data-protective environments, there may be help facilitate access to government climate data multiple sources of data that will need to be tracked for the work. Projects may need to manage their down, converted to digital format, compiled and own expectations and be willing to compromise; for compared. Where multiple agencies are involved,
23 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
Kodar water reservoir in Mahasamund District, Chhattisgarh, India.
datasets often conflict, requiring decisions about longer-term policy and planning priorities. which data to consider primary or more reliable. • Collecting and maintaining climate data: Basic climate data is the building block of any higher- 6: ‘Ground-truthing’ data in some instances can level climate analysis. Ensuring its accuracy make the climate data more reliable. This will and usability should be reinforced whenever require working closely with data collectors and possible. Agencies need to know how to collect communities, though this needs to be done with and maintain data accurately and be encouraged care to avoid incorporating local misperception to store it with metadata on how and why the and/or misrepresentation into datasets. Data gaps data was collected, inconsistencies or gaps, may require piecing together multiple datasets accuracy, etc. Seemingly inconsequential actions, or may represent time periods that cannot be like moving a thermometer to the other side of a addressed, meaning it is necessary to modify building, can introduce step changes in the data. project plans or goals. If such actions are not documented, later users 7: Invest in capacity-building. Given the need for will have no way of knowing why there has been ownership of climate data by those who will be a change or what to do about it. using it for planning and policy, it is important • Developing climate information systems: These to build the capacity of key local stakeholders to include data infrastructure, models and produce climate information, maintain climate decision support tools to hep integrate climate models and systems and use climate information information into policy and planning. Decision over the long term. Otherwise, the generation and support tools give governments ownership over use of climate information will likely cease soon approaches for producing and using climate after project funding ends. ACT’s experience has information and help build their understanding shown that local stakeholders, like universities, local of the types of investments and capacities these consultants and think tanks that have long-term approaches entail. This will become especially and stable local presence, need to be identified and important as climate conditions shift and more trained in the following as appropriate: government departments begin to develop and • Climate risk and why it is important to consider it implement climate adaptation and mitigation in planning: Governments often perceive climate policies. change as a long-term issue that is not reflective • Limitations of climate information: The uncertainty of, and perhaps is in conflict with, immediate surrounding climate information poses local priorities. Awareness needs to be built significant challenges in ensuring its uptake around what climate change is, how it will and use. Stakeholders need to understand manifest locally and how it ties into shorter- and the bounds within which they are assessing
24 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
trade-offs and making decisions. As a result, analysis has provided a useful way of examining they need to be trained from the outset on and identifying adaptation options in the WRM the limitations of climate information overall, sector that are robust across a variety of potential and on the limitations of the information being climate scenarios. produced in the project relative to their policy 9: Institutionalise the use of climate data and and planning goals. They also need to know how information in decision-making. This requires to use climate information in the context of its local ownership of the production and use of limitations. climate information. ACT projects have been Note that capacity-building is an ongoing process, delivered by local consultants collaborating with not a one-time workshop or training. Much of it key local government departments. This has will occur through consistent engagement with helped build long-term relationships and ensured key stakeholders, in particular local consultants that technical support to governments in the and department staff. It cannot be limited to high- production and use of climate information can level government stakeholders and consultants. continue after the project has ended. Furthermore, This cross-scalar capacity-building has been a key local ownership ensures the project is embedded aspect of the water budgeting tool developed in in, and climate information is tailored to, the local Maharashtra, as the tool requires data inputs from context, and thus reflects local needs, capacities local stakeholders like village resource persons and realities. In Odisha, the local consultant who and local governments, and will be used by a delivered the District Integrated Irrigation and variety of stakeholders, including government, Agriculture Planning project was chosen because development practitioners and villages. he was an expert in the agriculture sector and was Therefore, building, using and maintaining climate well known to and respected by the government. information requires awareness, participation The government cannot be expected to maintain and capacity across scales and sectors within and the climate information models on its own in the outside of government. long term; rather, this trained local consultant can continue to manage the model and support the 8: Develop decision support systems to help uptake of climate information by the government. decision-makers use climate information. Developing and housing decision support systems 10: Prioritise problem-driven iterative adaptation locally can help ensure the interpretation of climate approaches. The production and use of climate information is embedded in the local context. Such information needs to allow continuous political systems can also help decision-makers navigate engagement and respond to political challenges climate uncertainty, as they tend to focus on and opportunities. This encourages learning among prioritising concepts like flexibility, adaptability and stakeholders from across scales and sectors to redundancy – all ‘good development’ characteristics ensure the climate information is being used in rapidly changing environments. In agriculture, appropriately within the bounds of its benefits and VCA has been an important avenue for integrating limitations, and its production is consistently being climate information into decision-making, especially refined to improve its value for decision-making. in identifying climate-resilient crops, how best to This requires consistent engagement to build strong build a supporting environment to ensure their relationships between project stakeholders, and cultivation and ultimately strengthening livelihoods active development and application of systems of in the context of climate change. Similarly, scenarios evaluation and reflection.
25 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
Figure 2: Recommendations on how best to integrate climate information into WRM planning
Obtain government buy-in by What is the issue – and can using entry points via their 1 climate data help to address it? 2 existing priorities
ose sing climate information More ata are not al a s etter s o l e artners in t e collection at ata are reall nee e rocess
3 What data are available – and who has them?
Ma ing avoi s collecting licate ata
If adequate data exist but are not shared: If available data are not adequate:
e a are t at climate information can e olitical se ata from regional climate se interest in recent e treme eat er events to e lain t e ro ections instea iss e s im ortance s lement it ot er ata mo ilise lic interest t ro g citi en-le initiatives e g alitative ata on erce tions i entif c am ions it in government o can a vocate for of a ar ris an v lnera ilit access to t e ata
Allow enough time for data Engage and work with champions compilation, cross-checking and in government 5 data cleaning
o il colla oration an coor ination Short-cuts here will affect the between different owners and users of relia ilit of concl sions ase on t e climate information anal sis
Ground-truth the data with Invest time and resources in communities to avoid perception capacity building within 6 bias government departments
o clarif climate ata are im ortant Esta lis ing a common n erstan ing for lanning o to ro ce an of t e ata tren s is vital to ens re maintain climate ata ases an t e ro ose sol tions are acce te limitations of climate ata
Develop decision-support Institutionalise the use of climate systems linking climate data to data in relevant government policy options departments
o enco rage ecision-ma ers to se o el ecision-ma ers se climate climate information information
Prioritise iterative approaches to producing and using climate 1 information
eca se iterative rocesses enco rage learning
26 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
6. Conclusion
Governments across South Asia and beyond have the experiences of the ACT programme. Cutting recognised that WRM policy and practice need to across the specific learning and recommendations incorporate climate change. WRM has historically are the following key themes: been backward-looking, and therefore based on Firstly, climate information in some form is always how water resources were used, supplied and available. The paper shares many examples of stressed in the past. Climate-Resilient Water governments in the region that have had only Management (CRWM) can address this need limited climate data and information available through a forward-looking approach which takes but have still been able to design CRWM policies into account how water supply and demand are and projects. It highlights the opportunity to currently affected by climate and how they are utilise qualitative data derived from community- likely to be affected in the future by climate change, level engagement tools, as well as what is more in conjunction with processes like urbanisation, traditionally considered climate data, such as data development and population growth. measured at meteorological stations. However, moving beyond recognising the need Secondly, the scope and nature of climate for CRWM to adjusting existing WRM plans and information and analysis should ‘match’ projects and designing new projects and plans government priorities and interests as much as which incorporate ‘climate-resilient’ elements is not possible. Climate change itself does not need to straightforward. It requires the climate information be the central focus of the analysis. For example, needed to understand current and future climate climate information could be subtly woven risks, and the capacity to use that information into analysis focused on increasing agriculture appropriately, understanding both its value and its productivity, making watershed planning more limitations. efficient or some other development goal. Extreme This Learning Paper has identified some climate events and natural disasters are often a opportunities for overcoming the challenge of useful entry-point to talking about climate change accessing and using climate information based on more generally.
Rain water flowing at Tamhini Ghat, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
27 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
Thirdly, the expected ‘users’ of the climate information freely with relevant stakeholders, and information should be partners in the process developing the institutional capabilities needed to of collecting and analysing it. This includes being analyse and incorporate that information within upfront about the limitations and uncertainty decision-making processes. inherent in much climate information and building Lastly, and most importantly, the paper emphasises trust in the analysis. It may involve working with that Climate Resilient Water Management can government officials directly or working with local be done now. Anywhere in the world, there is a research institutes and consultants who are trusted viable and appropriate avenue for locating climate by the government and can provide long-term information, making it relevant to local stakeholders support. and decision-makers, and incorporating it into the Fourthly, consistent effort should be devoted to decision-making process. The paper encourages strengthening institutional capacity for collecting those designing or delivering technical assistance and using climate information within the decision- programmes to utilise the learning and experience making process. This includes building systems and of ACT to ensure a more efficient and effective mechanisms for accurately collecting data, sharing intervention.
28 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
References
Cline, W.R. (2008) ‘Global Warming and Agriculture’. Finance Lemos, M.C., Kirchhoff, C.J. and Ramprasad, V. (2012) and Development, March: 23–27. ‘Narrowing the Climate Information Usability Gap’, Dessai, S., Hulme, M., Lempert, R. and Pielke Jr, R. (2009) Nature Climate Change 2(11): 789–794. ‘Climate Prediction: A Limit to Adaptation’, In W.N. Loo, Y., Billa, L., and Singh, A. (2015) ‘Effect of Climate Adger, I. Lorenzoni and K. O’Brien (eds) Adapting Change on Seasonal Monsoon in Asia and Its Impact to Climate Change: Thresholds, Values, Governance. on the Variability of Monsoon Rainfall in Southeast Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (64–78). Asia’, Geoscience Frontiers 6(6): 817–823. Feldman, D. and Ingram, H. (2009) ‘Making Science Rummukainen, M. (2016) ‘Added Value in Regional Climate Useful to Decision Makers: Climate Forecasts, Water Modelling’, WIRES Climate Change 7(1): 145-159. Management, and Knowledge Networks’, American Singh, C., Daron, J., Bazaz, A., Ziervogel, G., Spear, D., Meteorological Society 9–21. Krishnaswamy, J., Zaroug, M. and Kituyi, E. (2017) Garcia L.E., Matthews, J.H., Rodriguez, D.J., Wijnen, ‘The Utility of Weather and Climate Information for M., DiFrancesco, K.N. and Ray, P. (2014) Beyond Adaptation Decision-Making: Current Uses and Future Downscaling: A Bottom-Up Approach to Climate Prospects In Africa and India’, Climate and Development Adaptation for Water Resources Management. 1–17. Washington, DC: World Bank. Tanner, T., Acharya, S. and Bahadur, A. (2018) ‘Perceptions James, A.J., Bahadur, A.V. and Verma, S. (2018) ‘Climate of Climate Change: Applying Assessments to Policy and Resilient Water Management: An operational Practice’. ACT Learning Paper. framework from South Asia’. ACT Learning Paper. Vincent, K., Cull, T., Chanika, D., Dougill, A., Stringer, L., Jones, L., Dougill, A., Jones, R. G., Steynor, A., Watkiss, P., Dixon, J. and Mkwambisi, D. (2015) ‘Using Climate Kane, C., Koelle, B., Moufouma-Okia, W., Padgham, Information to Achieve Long-Term Development J., Ranger, N., Roux, J. P., Suarez, P., Tanner, T. and Objectives in Malawi (FCFA)’. Policy Brief. London: Vincent, K. (2015) ‘Ensuring climate information guides CDKN. long-term development’, Nature Climate Change 5(9): Wilby, R.L., Troni, J., Biot, Y., Tedd, L., Hewitson, B.C., Smith, 812–814. D.M. and Sutton, R.T. (2009) ‘A Review of Climate Kundzewicz, Z.W., Mata, L.J., Arnell, N.W., Döll, P., Kabat, Risk Information for Adaptation and Development P., Jiménez, B., Miller, K.A., Oki, T., Sen, Z. and Planning’, International Journal of Climatology 29(9): Shiklomanov, I.A. (2007) ‘Freshwater Resources and 1193–1215. Their Management’. In Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (173–210).
29 LEARNING PAPER Using climate information for Climate-Resilient Water Management: Moving from science to action
Annex: Online sources of climate information
There are a number of online sources of data, information and reports about climate change around the world, including the following: World Bank Group’s Climate Change Knowledge Portal: http://sdwebx.worldbank.org/climateportal/ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Data Distribution Centre: http://www.ipcc-data.org/ar4/gcm_data.html Sistema Regional de Visualización y Monitoreo de Mesoamérica (SERVIR): http://www.servir.net/ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Services: https://www.climate.gov/ CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) GCM Downscaled Data Portal: http://ccafs-climate.org/ International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI), Columbia University Climate Data Library: http://iridl.ldeo.columbia.edu/ University of East Anglia Climate Research Unit (CRU): http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/data/ United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Climate Change Country Profiles: http://www.geog.ox.ac.uk/research/climate/projects/undp-cp/ Climate Impacts: Global and Regional Adaptation Support Platform (ci: grasp 2.0): http://pik-potsdam.de/cigrasp-2/
30 ACT Team Leader biographies
This Learning Paper is based on the experience and inputs of the following ACT Team Leaders:
Sunil Acharya (Nepal) Dr Md. Nadiruzzaman (Bangladesh) Sunil has significant experience in Nepal of Nadir is Assistant Professor of Environmental research, policy analysis and practice of climate Management at the Independent University, change adaptation, climate finance and governance, Bangladesh and an affiliate at the International the political economy of low-carbon and climate- Centre for Climate Change and Development. His resilient development, international climate research focus includes climate change, disasters change negotiations and renewable energy policy. and ecosystems and he has worked with a number He previously led civil society’s engagement in of IPCC Coordinating Lead Authors. influencing climate change policy formulation in [email protected] Nepal. [email protected] Arif Pervaiz (Pakistan) Arif is a technical expert in urban climate Soumik Biswas (Odisha, Chhattisgarh) resilience, water and sanitation, urban mobility Soumik has more than 12 years of experience in and environmental protection, with extensive the field of sustainability, climate change, carbon experience supporting government partners. He and energy management and low-carbon strategy has previously worked for the Government of formulation. He has been involved in over 200 Pakistan, ADB, USAID, IUCN, IIED and others. projects worldwide, including for the World Bank, [email protected] KfW, DFID and others, on project execution, due diligence, training and management. Mariamma ‘Nirmala’ Sanu George (Kerala) [email protected] Nirmala is trained in applied economics, with more than 25 years of experience in research and project Naman Gupta (Maharashtra) management related to sustainable development Naman specialises in public and private sector including climate change and gender. She has engagement and capacity-building for climate previously worked with SDC, the World Bank, ADB, change planning and delivery. She has previously UNDP and various national and state government worked for the British High Commission, GIZ, E&Y agencies. and others, and received an Award for ‘Women [email protected] Empowerment and Climate Change’ during the 2017 Global Economic Summit. Rizwan Uz Zaman (Assam) [email protected] Rizwan has over 15 years of experience of supporting public policy processes for climate Pankaj Kumar (Bihar) change and natural resource management, as well Pankaj is an expert on mainstreaming environment as private sector action. He has previously worked concerns within development infrastructure as with national and state governments in India, as well as carbon and energy management. He has well as Development Alternatives and international previously worked with Carbon Check, IL&FS organisations. Infrastructure Development Corporation, the [email protected] Government of Bihar and others. He was the Team Leader for validation and verification of around 150 greenhouse gas projects globally, including CDM, VCS, SCS and the Gold Standard. [email protected] E: [email protected] W: actiononclimate.today @act_climate www.facebook.com/ActionOnClimate