Abstract
Abstract. This paper analyses the social capacities for drought risk management from the perspective of national and regional water users and policy- and decision-makers in Switzerland. The analysis follows five dimensions of social capacities as prerequisites for drought risk management. Regarding information and knowledge (1), basic data is available, however not assembled for an integrated drought information system. As for technology and infrastructure (2), limited proactive capacities are available with the exception of a few of the drought-prone regions; in emergency response to drought however, provisional capacities are put together. Regarding organisation and management (3) most regions have enough personnel and effective cooperation in the case of acute and sporadic drought; long-term strategies though are largely missing. Economic resources (4) are sufficient if droughts remain rare. Finally, institutions and policies (5) are not sufficient for proactive drought risk management, but have been suitable in the drought of 2003. Starting points for building social capacities are first, to draw on the extensive experiences with the management of other natural hazards, second to build an integrated drought information system, including social and economic impacts, and third to improve the institutional framework through consistent regulations and coordination for proactive drought risk management.
Highlights
Droughts are complex hydro-climatic, environmental and socio-economic phenomena and mostly related to the decrease in the amount of precipitation over an extended period of time, inflicting damage to an activity, group or environment (Mishra and Singh, 2010; Kallis, 2008; Tate and Gustard, 2000; Van Lanen and Peters, 2000)
The results suggest that the process of building social capacities may be accelerated through drawing on capacities that already exist in related fields, upon experience from single cantons, through taking notice of research – ideally of scientists from one’s own country – and through raising awareness of historical events and management strategies such as the Suones or the common property management of water resources which is still alive in the neighbouring Vinschgau (Italy)
Valuable preconditions regarding the five dimensions of social capacities are available, we see a particular need to assemble the available data in an integrated information system, to expand technologies and infrastructure for proactive capacities, not to dwell on hitherto successful ad-hoc management but to develop long-term strategies, to be ready to expand financial resources and to coordinate better institutions and policies which so far are fragmented
Summary
Droughts are complex hydro-climatic, environmental and socio-economic phenomena and mostly related to the decrease in the amount of precipitation over an extended period of time, inflicting damage to an activity, group or environment (Mishra and Singh, 2010; Kallis, 2008; Tate and Gustard, 2000; Van Lanen and Peters, 2000). The general climatic conditions within a particular region, as well as local characteristics such as soil properties, snow pack, altitude and basin size, influence the spatial occurrence, duration and severity of droughts. Droughts and low flow situations can result in a slow onset hazard that develops over time. Indirect and spread slowly, in contrast to other rapid onset natural hazards, such as floods, earthquakes and landslides. Droughts affect certain areas in Europe almost every year, mostly in the Mediterranean (e.g. Spain, France, Italy) and central and eastern Europe (e.g. Hungary, Bulgaria, Russia), the impacts are highly place- and user-group specific (Kallis, 2008; Bradford, 2000)
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