Integrated Water Resources Management in Burkina Faso

Monday, April 20, 2009: 4:30 p.m.
Turquoise III (Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort )
W. Alan McKay , Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV
Alexandra Lutz , Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV
Sam Earman , Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV
James Thomas , Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV
At its core, effective Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) focuses on ensuring the long-term sustainability of, and access to, clean water. A critical element to the sustainability “leg” of IWRM is the inclusion of data and information emerging from the climate change community. Broadly defined, climate change encompasses  processes such as regional warming, altered precipitation patterns, stream flow and groundwater recharge. While there is a large degree of variability associated with most climate model predictions, most, if not all, climate models currently in use predict significant reductions in rainfall (usually in the 15-20% range) across sub-Saharan West Africa under most simulation scenarios. Against this backdrop, IWRM in the already water-scarce country of requires that predictions for reduced rainfall be integrated into IWRM plans, particularly within the framework of resource sustainability and access to safe water.