Better global water information through the Global Hydrological Status and Outlook System (HydroSOS) & Reporting

World Meteorological Organization (WMO) (

Intergovernmental organization

)

#SDGAction51142

Description

We cannot manage something well that we don’t measure. The capacity to monitor and manage water resources is fragmented and inadequate. WMO and partners endeavor to improve global water information through a Hydrological Status and Outlook System (HydroSOS) and an annual State of Global Water Resources Report.

The initiative will (1) enhance the capacities of countries to produce hydrological status assessments and outlooks at seasonal to sub-seasonal scale; (2) integrate such products for policy and decision-making at the national, regional, and global level; and (3) release a yearly global report presenting an overall status of the water resources. Member States, Decision-makers and Stakeholders will be able to respond to questions, such as: “How much water is available in my basin or region at the moment?”; "Is the current situation normal or significantly above/below normal conditions?"; and "How might the local and regional flood/drought situation change in the coming weeks to months?”.

The initiative focuses on implementing HydroSOS at various scales (regional, national and global) by assessing existing capacities, further developing those capacities and technical applications, and establishing WMO HydroSOS Centers embedded within the WMO Integrated Processing and Prediction System (WIPPS). HydroSOS aspires to build a sustainable and robust global framework for hydrological status and outlook information which is centered on locally produced analysis, supplemented by products from global hydrological models and data centers. HydroSOS portals will ensure the products are open and accessible for WMO Members and other stakeholders.

The first global report was launched in 2022 which gave an overall picture of the water resources, changes in hydrological storages (groundwater, snow and ice) and major hydrological extreme events and associated losses. The report provided hydrological information to enhance, guide and support water-related decision-making by planners, managers, and policymakers at all levels of government. Once HydroSOS is operational, the Annual State of Water Resources report will present information derived from HydroSOS and serve as a summary of information to guide policy development, climate change mitigation, and adaptation action.

The governance is overseen by the two technical commissions of WMO and is coordinated by the Hydrological Coordination Panel. The work streams are divided into Technical Development, Implementation, and Coordination, constituted by teams of experts from partners and WMO staff. HydroSOS implementation is also supported by the other WMO activities like the HydroHub (focusing on innovation to increase capacities of Member states), and WHOS (WMO Hydrological Observing System which works as a broker for effective data/information transfer)

The HydroSOS and the State of Global Water Resources report are elements included in the WMO Plan of Action for Water based on a decadal Vision and Strategy for Hydrology with eight Ambitions that support the operational hydrological community. Specifically, “By 2030 a cooperative global community is successfully addressing the growing challenges related to hydrological extremes, water availability and quality, and food security, by advancing operational hydrology through enhanced science, infrastructure, capacity-building and related services, in the context of sustainable development and enhanced resilience.”

Expected Impact

WMO’s objective is to help us, and future generations to understand better how water availability and the frequency of floods and droughts respond to the changing climate and anthropogenic activities and the resulting impact on the water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus (SDG 6, 2, 7, 11, 13, and 15).
HydroSOS is currently being implemented at global, regional, and national/local scales. Over three years, it is expected that HydroSOS will be functional and share the hydrological status of at least 50 countries and the hydrological outlooks of at least 20 countries. Complementing HydroSOS, the annual State of Water Resources report is fed by the information from countries participating in HydroSOS, helping to reduce the gaps in information at the global scale by taking action at the national/regional scales.

Several socioeconomic sectors, if not all, depend on water. Making hydrological information available is the first step to empower stakeholders to make informed decisions. HydroSOS will inform planning, decision and policy-making, addressing current gaps in the availability of water information. Understanding water resource availability allows better planning and support for safe drinking water and sanitation (SDG 6) and informs impacts on people (SDG 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5), industries (SDG 9), and the environment (SDG 14 and 15). Providing baselines and projections on changes to water resources, also informs mitigation and adaptation to climate change and its impacts on society (SDG 13), as well as potential security issues (SDG 16). HydroSOS empowers national and international water management and catalyzes international cooperation through trusted water data, assessments, and outlooks.

Improved global water information through HydroSOS will accelerate the implementation of the SDGs by fostering international and regional cooperation among countries and ministries (SDG 17). Shared information products will support decision-makers and river basin-wide collaboration. National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) will support ministries of environment, water, climate change, transport, etc., by providing timely information on the state of their water resources. This will further provide an integrated regional/global overview of the resource to assist the aid & development sector, NGOs and UN entities in their anticipatory action and response to water-related hazards (SDG 11.5). The HydroSOS framework is an enabler for establishing Early Warning for all (EW4ALL) by strengthening the monitoring and forecasting capacities for floods and droughts of the Members through various implementation levels.

Finally, better water data and information is paramount in guiding intergovernmental discussions regarding shared water resources. This initiative underscores the integral role of Member States in achieving this and strongly encourages Members to strengthen their monitoring network for timely data collection of the various components of the water cycle – groundwater, soil moisture, streamflow and snow and ice, etc. – to share the data obtained under the WMO Unified Data Policy encouraging open data and knowledge.

Partners

The Global Hydrological Status and Outlook System (HydroSOS) is being implemented through collaboration with different partners, including National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) and affiliated water departments, transboundary basin organizations, research organizations, and with consultations with stakeholders from various sectors, including agriculture, energy, disaster risk reduction (DRR), dam operators, etc.
A few examples of partners who are contributing to the implementation and technical development of standards of HydroSOS and outputs like the State of Global Water Resources report include:
• NMHSs: UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology of the United Kingdom (UKCEH), National Water Institute of Argentina (INA), National Meteorological and Hydrological Service of Peru (SENAMHI), National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research of New Zealand (NIWA), Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) Regional Climate Centres and transboundary basin partners in Lake Victoria Basin: Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC), IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC).
• Climate and hydrological modelling and prediction partners, and research centers: NASA, ECMWF, NCAR, Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI), UNEP-DHI, University of Saskatchewan, Brigham Young University (BYU), JRC, UFZ, Goethe, University Frankfurt, Utrecht University, Deltares, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, University of Tokyo, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, GFZ Potsdam
• Multilateral Development Banks: World Bank Group, Inter-American Development Bank
• UN entities: UNEP, FAO, UNESCO, UNDRR, IAEA
• Global data centers: Global Runoff Data Centre (GRDC), International Groundwater Centre (IGRAC), International Soil Moisture Network (ISMN)

Additional information

State of Global Water Resources report 2021: https://public.wmo.int/en/our-mandate/water/state-of-global-water-resou…
HydroSOS Flyer1: https://tinyurl.com/e33c2mef
HydroSOS Flyer2: https://tinyurl.com/2mmrvptu
HydroSOS Flyer3: https://tinyurl.com/4nnev4eh
Video1 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CskmvyQ9VVE
Video2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9saq83FZ-A
Video3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUTZhucc774&t=354s

SDGS & Targets

Goal 6

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

6.1

By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all

6.1.1

Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services

6.2

By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations

6.2.1

Proportion of population using (a) safely managed sanitation services and (b) a hand-washing facility with soap and water

6.3

By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally

6.3.1

Proportion of domestic and industrial wastewater flows safely treated

6.3.2

Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality

6.4

By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity

6.4.1

Change in water-use efficiency over time

6.4.2

Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources

6.5

By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate

6.5.1

Degree of integrated water resources management

6.5.2

Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation

6.6

By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes

6.6.1

Change in the extent of water-related ecosystems over time

6.a

By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies

6.a.1

Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance that is part of a government-coordinated spending plan

6.b

Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management

6.b.1

Proportion of local administrative units with established and operational policies and procedures for participation of local communities in water and sanitation management

Goal 11

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

11.1

By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums

11.1.1

Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing

11.2

By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons

11.2.1

Proportion of population that has convenient access to public transport, by sex, age and persons with disabilities

11.3

By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries

11.3.1

Ratio of land consumption rate to population growth rate

11.3.2

Proportion of cities with a direct participation structure of civil society in urban planning and management that operate regularly and democratically

11.4

Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage

11.4.1

Total per capita expenditure on the preservation, protection and conservation of all cultural and natural heritage, by source of funding (public, private), type of heritage (cultural, natural) and level of government (national, regional, and local/municipal)

11.5

By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations

11.5.1

Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population

11.5.2

Direct economic loss attributed to disasters in relation to global domestic product (GDP)

11.5.3

(a) Damage to critical infrastructure and (b) number of disruptions to basic services, attributed to disasters

11.6

By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management

11.6.1

Proportion of municipal solid waste collected and managed in controlled facilities out of total municipal waste generated, by cities

11.6.2

Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (e.g. PM2.5 and PM10) in cities (population weighted)

11.7

By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities

11.7.1

Average share of the built-up area of cities that is open space for public use for all, by sex, age and persons with disabilities

11.7.2

Proportion of persons victim of non-sexual or sexual harassment, by sex, age, disability status and place of occurrence, in the previous 12 months

11.a

Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning

11.a.1

Number of countries that have national urban policies or regional development plans that (a) respond to population dynamics; (b) ensure balanced territorial development; and (c) increase local fiscal space

11.b

By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels

11.b.1

Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030

11.b.2

Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies

11.c

Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials

Goal 13

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

13.1

Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries

13.1.1

Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population

13.1.2

Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030

13.1.3

Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies

13.2

Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning

13.2.1

Number of countries with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

13.2.2

Total greenhouse gas emissions per year

13.3

Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

13.3.1

Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment

13.a

Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible

13.a.1

Amounts provided and mobilized in United States dollars per year in relation to the continued existing collective mobilization goal of the $100 billion commitment through to 2025

13.b

Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities

13.b.1

Number of least developed countries and small island developing States with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Goal 16

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

16.1

Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere

16.1.1

Number of victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population, by sex and age

16.1.2

Conflict-related deaths per 100,000 population, by sex, age and cause

16.1.3

Proportion of population subjected to (a) physical violence, (b) psychological violence and/or (c) sexual violence in the previous 12 months

16.1.4

Proportion of population that feel safe walking alone around the area they live after dark

16.2

End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children

16.2.1

Proportion of children aged 1–17 years who experienced any physical punishment and/or psychological aggression by caregivers in the past month

16.2.2

Number of victims of human trafficking per 100,000 population, by sex, age and form of exploitation

16.2.3

Proportion of young women and men aged 18–29 years who experienced sexual violence by age 18

16.3

Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all

16.3.1

Proportion of victims of (a) physical, (b) psychological and/or (c) sexual violence in the previous 12 months who reported their victimization to competent authorities or other officially recognized conflict resolution mechanisms

16.3.2

Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population

16.3.3

Proportion of the population who have experienced a dispute in the past two years and who accessed a formal or informal dispute resolution mechanism, by type of mechanism

16.4

By 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organized crime

16.4.1

Total value of inward and outward illicit financial flows (in current United States dollars)

16.4.2

Proportion of seized, found or surrendered arms whose illicit origin or context has been traced or established by a competent authority in line with international instruments

16.5

Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms

16.5.1

Proportion of persons who had at least one contact with a public official and who paid a bribe to a public official, or were asked for a bribe by those public officials, during the previous 12 months

16.5.2

Proportion of businesses that had at least one contact with a public official and that paid a bribe to a public official, or were asked for a bribe by those public officials during the previous 12 months

16.6

Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels

16.6.1

Primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget, by sector (or by budget codes or similar)

16.6.2

Proportion of population satisfied with their last experience of public services

16.7

Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels

16.7.1

Proportions of positions in national and local institutions, including (a) the legislatures; (b) the public service; and (c) the judiciary, compared to national distributions, by sex, age, persons with disabilities and population groups

16.7.2

Proportion of population who believe decision-making is inclusive and responsive, by sex, age, disability and population group

16.8

Broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance

16.8.1

Proportion of members and voting rights of developing countries in international organizations

16.9

By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration

16.9.1

Proportion of children under 5 years of age whose births have been registered with a civil authority, by age

16.10

Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements

16.10.1

Number of verified cases of killing, kidnapping, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention and torture of journalists, associated media personnel, trade unionists and human rights advocates in the previous 12 months

16.10.2

Number of countries that adopt and implement constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information

16.a

Strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, for building capacity at all levels, in particular in developing countries, to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime

16.a.1

Existence of independent national human rights institutions in compliance with the Paris Principles

16.b

Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development

16.b.1

Proportion of population reporting having personally felt discriminated against or harassed in the previous 12 months on the basis of a ground of discrimination prohibited under international human rights law

False

Feedback

Action Network

Timeline

01 January 2017 (start date)

31 December 2030 (date of completion)

Entity

World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

SDGs

6 11 13 16

Region

Africa
Europe
Asia and Pacific
North America
Latin America and the Caribbean
West Asia
Global

Other beneficiaries

NMHS’s of participating countries are the main beneficiaries. Additional beneficiaries include Water Resources Agencies, Climate Change Authorities, Ministries (Agriculture, Environment, Health, Transportation, among others), Civil Protection and Emergency Authorities, and Transboundary basin organizations. Moreover, the generated data and information will also benefit intergovernmental organizations, aid agencies, and NGOs by assisting in identification of hotspots, and helping in directing preparedness and planning in terms of resources in a timely manner.