On occasion of the capacity-building workshop on Integrated Water Resources Management, R. Andreas Kraemer spoke to participants from several Maghreb countries about the management of flood and drought events. After contrasting the specific situations in Europe and Northern Africa and outlining the differences, but also common challenges, he went on to discuss structural and non-structural measures to prevent negative effects from floods and droughts in both regions.

In drawing lessons for flood and drought management in Northern Africa, he pointed out that it is impossible to prevent floods and most importantly droughts in this region, but that the negative impacts on human settlements and the environment can be limited through the wise use and combination of measures. Structural measures are part of the solution, but need to be augmented by non-structural approaches. It was pointed out that in designing those measures, it is crucial to involve all water users and stakeholders.

The presentation of R. Andreas Kraemer is available for download [pdf, 669 KB, French].

Furthermore, Nicole Kranz, Fellow at Ecologic, addressed participative water management using the example of the European Rhine river basin. Here you can find further information on the lecture of Nicole Kranz.

The lectures were part of the project: Integrated Water Resources Management: Course for North Africa.