Nonetheless, the Mekong River Basin is changing rapidly due to accelerating water infrastructure development (hydropower, irrigation, flood control, and water supply) and climate change, bringing considerable modifications to the flood pulse of the Tonle Sap Lake in the foreseeable future.
Maps of water depth, annual flood duration, and flood frequency were created for recent historical hydrological conditions and for simulated future scenarios of water infrastructure development and climate change.
It was found that water infrastructure development could increase the area of open water (+18 to +21%) and the area of rainfed habitats (+10 to +14%), while reducing the area covered with seasonally flooded habitats (−13 to −22%) and gallery forest (−75 to −83%).
We need more water infrastructure development to ensure our families remain safe from severe storms and flooding events.
Switzerland has a long history of water infrastructure development and of active management of its water resources at a very high level of technical competence.
Consequently, the relevance of the Building with Nature concept for water infrastructure development in estuaries and coasts is expected to increase in the coming years.
Here we use examples from Switzerland, a country with a long history of intensive water infrastructure development, to illustrate the multiple and evolving challenges that must be addressed in the management of water resources and infrastructure.
With around 160 residential communities without water supply networks and approximately 90% of these residents without sewage networks, the PWA has had to overcome many challenges to meet the increasing demand for water supply, infrastructure development and sector reform with limited control over resources, weak water institutions and conditional funding.
At the national level, a large-scale water infrastructure project (Antwerp Harbor development) being implemented predominantly for its economic benefits was faced with the environmental requirements of Natura 2000.
This 'technical discourse of water infrastructure' is used to analyse developments in desalination, wastewater reuse, decentralised non-potable supply, domestic water efficiency, water sensitive urban design and ecological sanitation.
