Eighth Meeting of Asian G-WADI Network Held Together With 2nd International Drought Initiative Expert Group Meeting

Jan. 2, 2019
Asian GWADI Meeting

The 8th Asian G-WADI and 2nd International Drought Initiative (IDI) expert group meetings were held in Khorasan Razavi Province (Holy City of Mashhad), Iran on 10-12 December 2018.

These events were hosted by Khorasan Razavi Regional Water Authority in close cooperation with the Regional Centre on Urban Water Management (RCUWM), under the auspices of UNESCO. The event received the support of UNESCO's International Hydrological Programme, UNESCO Field Offices in Tehran, Jakarta and New Delhi, the Ministry of Energy of I.R Iran, Iran Water Resources Management Company and the University of Ferdowsi, Mashhad.

Outcomes of the meeting specific to G-WADI included:

  • Expansion of the G-WADI network;
  • Sharing experiences of arid and semi-arid Asian G-WADI member countries;
  • Defining the role and objectives of the newly formed Advisory Committee of Asian GWADI;
  • Enhancing interactions with G-WADI countries beyond the meetings; and
  • Compiling the successful studies from the Asian GWADI Pilot study areas in the form of a volume.

Further, the IDI Secretariat and Asian G-WADI network, with the support of the University of California, Irvine's Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing (CHRS), are working to pilot a free, online, grid-based and user-friendly rainfall dataset for Iran to allow Iranian users to access historical and real-time precipitation data throughout the country quickly and easily. The dataset could be used for hydrology, water management, climate change or other studies. A similar database might be useful for other countries as well.

More detailed write-ups of the event are available from the UNESCO Office in Tehran and RCUWM.