22nd ICID European Regional Congress: Water Resources Management and Irrigation and Drainage Systems Development in the European Environment

Uncertainties as to how the climate will change and how irrigation and drainage systems will have to adapt to these changes are challenges that planners and designers will have to cope with.

In Europe, as well as elsewhere, most of the irrigation and drainage systems were developed on a step-by-step basis over the centuries and were designed for a long life (50 years ore more) on the assumption that climatic conditions would not change in the future. This will not be so in the years to come due to global warming and greenhouse effect.

Within this ground the Conference endeavours to review planning principles, design criteria, operating rules, contingency plans and management policies for new infrastructures and to stress the role of irrigation and drainage to control extreme hydrological events due to climate change.

SUBTOPICS:

a)   Prognoses of consequences of the climate change;

b)   Evaluation of causes and consequences of floods and droughts;

c)   Statistics of dry periods and floods;

d)   Planning principles and design criteria of irrigation and drainage systems under climate  uncertainty;

e)   Role of irrigation and drainage in impacts mitigation of both droughts and floods.