Recent trends show that global demand for freshwater use is increasing while the amount of net storage available is decreasing.
Water storage increases the availability of water for human, environmental and economic use, reduces flood impacts, and provides benefits such as hydropower and navigation by regulating water flows.
Climate change is bringing profound changes to the water cycle, making it more difficult to access natural water storage systems such as glaciers, wetlands, and soil moisture.
Investment in built storage has not kept up with population growth, resulting in a water storage gap that must be addressed to ensure a water-secure future.
This report by the World Bank provides a new integrated planning framework to help water managers navigate their options to meet water security goals. It outlines a new approach to water storage investments that emphasizes integrated planning and concurrent joint management. It seeks to address the mounting challenges in managing water resources and provides case studies of successful approaches from different countries.
Source: THE WORLD BANK