Water availability to be enhanced through focus on national water resources assessments

Currently, many countries are not able to sustainably manage the demands on their freshwater resources. A new initiative to enable Member States to enhance the availability of fresh water through comprehensive, scientifically sound resource assessments is being undertaken by the IAEA. This initiative, named the Water Availability Enhancement Project, will assist Member States to identify gaps in existing hydrological information and understanding, to improve national capacities for collecting, managing, and interpreting water resources data, and to use advanced techniques to simulate hydrological systems for resource management. As a result, the capacity of Member States to conduct comprehensive national water- resources assessments will be strengthened. The Water Availability Enhancement Project is envisioned to build on, and complement, other international, regional, and national initiatives to provide decision makers with reliable tools for better management of their water resources