Hydrology and Water Resources

Freshwater is vital for sustainable development requiring accurate data on its quantity, quality and variability. For over 70 years WMO’s Activities in Hydrology have helped Members assess, manage and standardize hydrological data to reduce hazards and support sustainable water use.

The world faces many challenges, above all that of establishing a sustainable way of life that would not threaten future generations.

One of the essential elements of life on this planet is freshwater. Sustainable development therefore demands sustainable management of the world's limited resources of freshwater. Water resources cannot be managed, however, unless we know where they are, in what quantity and quality, and how variable they are likely to be in the foreseeable future.

The challenge is to provide such hydrologic information on a regular basis.

For over 75 years, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and its predecessor, the International Meteorological Organization, have supported National Hydrological Services, River Basin Authorities and other institutions responsible for water management in a wide range of activities. Presently, the Hydrology and Water Resources Activities are concerned with the assessment of the quantity and quality of water resources, both surface and groundwater, in order to meet the needs of society, to permit mitigation of water-related hazards, and to maintain or enhance the condition of the global environment. It includes standardization of various aspects of hydrological observations and the organized transfer of technologies for enabling Hydrological Services to provide the hydrological data and information required for the sustainable development of their countries. It provides advice to Members on flood management policy and assists them in their effort to adopt Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) with an emphasis on practical applications.

Purpose and scope

The main goal of the Hydrology and Water Resources activities is to promote the effective use of hydrology in the framework of Integrated Water Resources Management to contribute to sustainable development, to assist in risk reduction of water-related disasters; and to support effective environmental management at national, basin, regional and international levels. They also aim at strengthening the capabilities of Members, particularly in developing countries and those in transition, through technology transfer and capacity-building, so as to enable them to independently assess their water resources on a continuous basis, and respond, through risk management strategies, to the threat of floods and droughts. The activities help enhance Members’ capabilities to provide better hydrological information, assessment and forecasts for a range of purposes.

Members’ activities are supported in:

Monitoring the state of their countries’ and, as a consequence, of the world's freshwater resources;
Measuring basic hydrological elements from networks of hydrological and meteorological stations;
Collecting, processing, storing, retrieving and publishing hydrological data, including data on the quantity and quality of both surface water and groundwater;
Providing data and information for use by planners and water managers;
Managing water-related risks, particularly flood and drought management;
Installing and operating hydrological forecasting systems; and
Integrating meteorological and climatological information and forecasts into water resources management.

Along with the Expected Results defined in WMO Strategic Plan, HWRP contributes to the achievement of Eight Long-Term Ambitions for Water as defined in the WMO Vision and Strategy on Hydrology:

Cross cutting activities and links with other WMO Programmes

The approach to achieve the goals set by the Organization is in many instances multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral, and the associated activities often involve contributions from several WMO Programmes and, for certain projects, coordinated collaboration with other international organizations dealing in disciplines related to weather, climate and water, consequently, many programme activities are of a crosscutting nature and coordinated with other Programmes in their implementation.

Regional aspects of activities and topics are implemented by the six Regional Associations of WMO through their working groups on hydrology. Strong cooperation is also implemented in the area of climate, especially as it concerns climate adaptation and drought. A wide range of activities related to education and training in operational hydrology are incorporated and supported. In addition, a number of WMO's technical cooperation activities are undertaken in the field of operational hydrology.

Hydrological elements are embedded in several other WMO Programmes and activities as listed hereunder: