Final Report Summary - TRANSDRIM (Transboundary Drought Risk Management - an application to the Guadiana River Basin)
TransDRiM:
Marie Curie Actions, PIEF-GA-2012-326051
Final Report, October-December 2013
A Grant Agreement (PIEF-GA-2012-326051) was signed on April 3rd 2013 between the Research Executive Agency and the University of Seville, regarding the implementation of the project TransDRiM (Transboundary Drought Risk Management – an application to the Guadiana River Basin).
TransDRiM had the following overall objectives:
- Minimize environmental, social and economic impacts of cross-border drought events;
- Reduce potential conflicts on water uses and availability between both riparian countries;
- Provide a methodological framework for transboundary drought risk management across EU river basins.
These general objectives were detailed into the following specific research objectives:
- Identify the potential and constraints for a transboundary policy of drought risk management in the Iberian Peninsula (Policy level);
- Assess the compatibility of the two national planning structures for the Guadiana river basin (Planning level);
- Provide technical solutions to establish a transboundary and operational drought management framework for the Lower Guadiana (Management level);
- Assess the feasibility of transboundary drought response measures proposed, based on their economic, political and social criteria (Validation).
During the 3 months covered by the Grant Agreement, the Researcher performed a series of tasks according to the work plan established in Annex I (Description of Work), namely:
- Task 1A. Assessment of the Portuguese drought response structure, based on a detailed analysis of all plans and tools conforming drought policy and response at the national level;
- Task 1B. Comparative analysis of drought policy framework and tools between Portugal and Spain, using a double SWOT matrix on 5 main components (international treaties and agreements, national legislation and plans, conflict resolution mechanisms, water rights and assignment, and drought response mechanisms).
The only change to the work plan approved was the non-completion of Task 1B, replaced (in terms of consumed time resources) by the anticipation of Task 3, since the latter required major technical efforts and several contacts with key stakeholders previous to its full execution. Reporting on the Tasks performed (1 and 3) is described in Attach 3.
Besides this work, the Researcher carried out several outreach activities following the terms of Annex I, namely:
- Participation in the Organising Committee of the 8th Iberian Water Congress, organised by Fundación Nueva Cultura del Agua in Lisbon, on December 5-7 (Attach 1);
- Proposal of a tailored workshop on “Transboundary water management: enhancing cooperation” to the International Water Association, in the scope of the World Water Congress to be held in Lisbon on September 16-21, 2014 (Attach 2).
Finally, and although some days previous to the project start date (on September 23-24), the Researcher participated on his own initiative in the Workshop “River Basin Commissions and other Joint Bodies for Transboundary Water Cooperation”, organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe in Geneva (Switzerland), given its policy and science significance for the subject of the project.
The project started on October 1st 2013, but due to personal reasons affecting the Researcher, the Beneficiary informed the REA of its will to terminate the project on December 31st 2013.