Background & Objectives

Background

Cooperation of the Danubian countries in the area of hydrology started in 1961, hosting the first conference on hydrological forecast in Budapest. The XXVIIth conference, in a series of biennial conferences alternatingly held by the Danubian countries, is now planned.

Since 1975, cooperation has been conducted within the framework of the International Hydrological Programme (IHP)of UNESCO. In 2014 the VIII phase of the IHP of UNESCO starts with the main topic ″Water security: Responses to local, regional, and global challenges”. To deal with these complex, rapid environmental and demographical changes (e.g. population growth and vulnerability to hydrological disasters, global and climate changes, uncontrolled urban expansion, and land use changes) holistic, multidisciplinary and environmentally sound approaches to water resources management and protection policy are necessary.

Water security in IHP VIII is defined as the capacity of a population to safeguard access to adequate quantities of water of acceptable quality for sustaining human and ecosystem health on a watershed basis, and to ensure efficient protection of life and property against water related hazards - floods and droughts.

Objectives of the Conference

The aims of the conference are:

• to foster exchange of hydrological basic information;
• to improve and adopt new models and techniques for hydrological forecasting and parameters at several time and space scales;
• to deal with disasters in an appropriate manner
• to better articulate the role of hydrological and biotic processes in aquatic systems;
• to link different fields of science;
• to promote cooperation of the Danubian countries

Both methodological approaches as well as case studies from the Danubian countries are welcome.