HS
Hydrological Sciences

Water policy, management & control

Catch the rain when it falls: a journey through water harvesting in the Anthropocene

November 28, 2024
Catch the rain when it falls: a journey through water harvesting in the Anthropocene
One of the simplest, most low-cost technologies for runoff harvesting, eyebrows terraces in Lanzarote (Credit: CC BY-SA 2.5, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1157760)

As an environmental engineer trained in water resources management, I have always been fascinated by the multiple uses of water, and specifically the use of water for food production. I always assumed that “the largest share of freshwater resources was used for food production”, thus I logically pursued my MSc. thesis and then my Ph.D. in agricultural sciences. How Fieldwork Shifted My Perspective ...[Read More]

October 2024 floods in the Valencia region, Eastern Spain: One example too many of hazardous debris

, , , and November 6, 2024
October 2024 floods in the Valencia region, Eastern Spain: One example too many of hazardous debris
Overview of UFDs jams in Catarroja after the October 2024 Valencia floods, Spain. Author: Miquel Albert

The recent devastating flash floods in Valencia region, Eastern Spain, have once more highlighted the role of large debris in enhancing urban flood hazard. Urban debris – so-called Urban Flood Drifters (UFDs) – are very varied as shown by a recent survey. They include vehicles, deadwood, waste bins, containers of many types, construction materials, and many other objects. Once these ar ...[Read More]

When Droughts Dry Up Power: The Climate-Hydropower dilemma

October 2, 2024
When Droughts Dry Up Power: The Climate-Hydropower dilemma

When we think of hydropower, its environmental impacts usually comes to mind: the dams that disrupt ecosystems, the water bodies that shift, the surface evaporation that increases, and the greenhouse gases that escape from reservoirs1. Hydropower, for all its clean energy potential, is not without its environmental baggage, whether on local water resources or the global surface water storage. But ...[Read More]

The water crisis in Bengaluru, India, and its direct link to the degradation of the city’s lake system

April 2, 2024
The water crisis in Bengaluru, India, and its direct link to the degradation of the city’s lake system

In the heart of India’s rapid urban expansion, Bengaluru city’s escalating water crisis reveals a direct connection to the deteriorating health of its lake systems, once the lifeline of this burgeoning city. Bengaluru has an area of about 741 sq km and a population of 13.6 million (2023) and has been historically celebrated as the “city of lakes.” These lakes are interconnected with canals/ ...[Read More]