Abstract
Different water related risks such as lake outburst floods and water scarcity are typically assessed by separate methods and often by separate research communities. However, in a local context such as in mountain regions of the developing world different water risks are intertwined and shaped by multi-dimensional natural and socio-economic drivers. Progressing glacier melt and the associated growing number of lakes rises the threat of glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs); at the same time declining melt water supply changes the hydrological regime, resulting in changing water availability, especially during dry seasons. Here, we address this challenge by integratively assessing water scarcity and GLOF risks and their interactions for two study sites in glacierized catchments in the Cordillera Blanca and Urubamba in the Peruvian Andes. We used hydrological modelling, GLOF flow path modelling, and interviews with local people and technical experts to assess the hazard and risks of water scarcity and GLOFs. We incorporate perspectives of people living in those areas in order to gain a more comprehensive view on risks. While metrics of flood and water scarcity hazards are difficult to compare, we found insightful results using a comparative analysis of elements at risk from different water related hazards with different probabilities of occurrence. Furthermore, our study shows that considering the diverse local perspectives on risks as well as the social, cultural, economic and political context is essential to more successful and sustainable disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and integrated water management.
Highlights
In the context of climate change, risk assessments have an important role in evaluating current conditions and simulating future scenarios to assess impacts due to the changing climate
Quillcay Interviews in the Quillcay revealed that glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs) and water scarcity are the most mentioned hazards and the hazards connected to water most relevant for people in the area
Local people as well as technical experts stated that GLOFs are considered as one of the major risks in the Quillcay, taking into account that the 1941 GLOF destroyed about one third of the former city of Huaraz
Summary
In the context of climate change, risk assessments have an important role in evaluating current conditions and simulating future scenarios to assess impacts due to the changing climate. In the IPCC AR5, risk is defined as a function of (i) the physical climate hazard, (ii) the exposure of people, asset values, ecosystems, and (iii) their vulnerability. This concept is in principle applicable for sudden as well as slow-onset climate related events such applications are still rare. The IPCC Special Report on extreme events and disasters (IPCC 2012) points out the relevance of adopting a multi-hazard approach in order to provide more effective climate change adaptation and risk reduction measures, both for the present and for the future
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