Background document Water Scarcity and Droughts

Comments to the background document Thematic Assessment on Vulnerability to water scarcity and droughts

page 7, headline chapter 3

The term „water stress“ need to be defined, because often water stress is used for agriculture/ crops. Very helpful would be a glossary with definition of the most important terms of the report.

page 8, map 3.1, figure 3.1

The simple number of drought events is not significant enough. Droughts caused often by a combination of different reasons. Therefore the analysis of precipitation should be preferred, for example the SPI is used for the characterization of drought situations. To evaluate a change of meteorological parameters is typically used the normal period (1961 - 1990) defined by WMO. The comparison of 10 –years-period is less representative, for instance in the Seventies no droughts in the Balkan regions, Greece or Italy are reported. Please check the link to the maps 3.1, it doesn´t work.

page 20, bullet point "Energy"

This example is not be suitable for water scarcity, because regarding the definition of WEI the duration of water imbalances over a longer time period is crucial. This situation is not given by a single, time limited, summer drought or low water event.

page 25, figure 1 in the box

The figure 1 should describe more in detail. What is the meaning of number 0 – 6? For the comparison of 2 river basins should be used the same scale.

page 35, chapter 4.2.8

This is not an example for droughts or water scarcity. This example shows the effects and ecological problems caused by to less residual water. This problem was already mentioned at the CIS hydropower Workshop. We recommend to delete it here.