A Review of Selected Hydrology Topics to Support Bank Operations

The World Bank's 2004 Water
Resources Sector Strategy focused on the need for both water
resources management and development in dealing with growth
and poverty alleviation. Planning and design of new
hydraulic infrastructure for water supply and sanitation,
food production, hydropower generation, flood protection,
ecosystem restoration or other such purposes require dealing
with all elements in the interaction among land, water,
vegetation, human intervention and climate variability and
change, with an emphasis on the end-user. They also require
the simultaneous consideration of technical, economic,
institutional (governance), political, financial,
environmental and social factors, as called for in the
Bank s 1993 Water Resources Management Policy. To provide
high-level insight on the key hydrology issues involved, a
group of world class experts gathered at a workshop held at
World Bank Headquarters in November 2008. The workshop was
organized by the Hydrology Expert Facility (HEF) of the
Water Anchor. The presenters discussed advancements in key
hydrologic topics that were selected for their relevance to
Bank operations. The focus was on potential implications for
the Bank s development assistance on water projects,
programs and policies.