Integrated Drought Management Initiatives in Central America

IDMP_BACI_Honduras_en_esCase study on the benefits of action and costs of inaction has been published by GWP Central America

This study analyses the cost of inaction and the benefits of action in Azacualpa, Honduras, where 27 reservoirs were built as a strategy to face drought, which had been affecting up to 70% of horticultural production, by an alliance involving financial, technical and organizational support from the public sector, the international cooperation and the community itself.

Download the document in English and in Spanish!

Activities on drought management are currently developed by GWP Central America with support from thee WMO/GWP Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP).

Kicked off by a Workshop on integrated approaches to drought management organized by the Agencia Estatal de Meteorología, AEMET (Spanish State Meteorological Agency) in cooperation with the IDMP, involving the main actors in the region, GWP Central America together with the Central American Committee of Hydraulic Resources (CRRH), carried out a training process on the application of the Standard Precipitation Index (SPI). The training was addressed to technical staff of the national meteorological services throughout the region.

Amongst the results of this process:

– All hydrometeorological services in Central America are now using the Standard Precipitation Index to monitor droughts.

– A regional working group on droughts made up by representatives of all hydrometheorological services has been established, and,

– This index is being used to prepare the quarterly forecasts shared with relevant decision making sectors responsible for taking actions to address climate variability.

Also, GWP Central America is presently documenting the impacts of the 2014 drought, that had an unprecedented impact in the region, and working on a joint proposal with WMO and the Central American Committee of Hydraulic Resources (CRRH), to implement a pilot project for an Early Warning System on Droughts. A summary of the activities is provided in the Information Note “La sequía en Centroamérica” (in Spanish).

To know more, visit the website of GWP Central America and click on the Events below.

Information Materials

  • Workshop on integrated approaches to drought management (November 2013) organized by AEMET in cooperation with IDMP and involving the main actors in the region
  • Regional workshop on the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) by GWP Central America and the Regional Committee on Water Resources (CRRH) (02 – 06 June 2014), Costa Rica
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