Take a fluid approach to build fresh water resilience

The author contends that traditional attempts to control water through artificial solutions have created vulnerabilities that are now being exposed by a changing climate. The document advocates for a 'resilience mindset' in water management, particularly within humanitarian and development funding, moving away from short-term recovery toward long-term capacity for communities to thrive despite recurrent water challenges. This approach emphasizes the use of predictive models, early warning systems, and the integration of indigenous knowledge. To implement this, the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) has focused on the Sahel, Horn of Africa, and South and Southeast Asia, and has launched a Water Window Challenge with a $10 million commitment from the Z Zurich Foundation to fund innovative flood-resilience solutions.

• Conventional water management strategies that attempt to control water flows through artificial solutions create vulnerabilities that are increasingly exposed as water supplies become scarcer.
• A resilience-based approach to water and development focuses on enabling at-risk populations to thrive under recurrent challenges by utilizing early warning systems and predictive models for planning in urbanization, infrastructure, and cropping systems.
• Current planning and spending models frequently overlook the local knowledge and solutions possessed by people living in disaster-prone areas.
• The Global Resilience Partnership (GRP), convened by The Rockefeller Foundation, USAID, and Sida, focuses its resilience-building efforts on the Sahel, Horn of Africa, and South and Southeast Asia.
• The GRP established a Water Window Challenge, supported by a $10 million commitment from the Z Zurich Foundation, which provides grants of up to $1 million for innovative solutions to assist flood-prone communities.

APA

Global Resilience Partnership (2016). Take a fluid approach to build fresh water resilience. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/take-a-fluid-approach-to-build-fresh-water-resilience/

Chicago

Global Resilience Partnership. Take a fluid approach to build fresh water resilience. 2016. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/take-a-fluid-approach-to-build-fresh-water-resilience/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Global Resilience Partnership |title=Take a fluid approach to build fresh water resilience |date=27 August 2016 |url=https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/take-a-fluid-approach-to-build-fresh-water-resilience/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{globalresiliencepartnership2016take, author = {{Global Resilience Partnership}}, title = {{Take a fluid approach to build fresh water resilience}}, publisher = {Global Resilience Partnership}, year = {2016}, month = aug, url = {https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/take-a-fluid-approach-to-build-fresh-water-resilience/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }