WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN KALYMNOS ISLAND. TIME TO ADAPTN.I. KALLIKAZAROUDepartment of Civil Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Div. of Hydraulics and Environmental Engineering

摘要

The most accurate available scientific evidence based on observations from long-term monitoring networks indicates that climate change is occurring, although the effects differ regionally. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop strategies to adapt to the already inevitable climate-change-driven changes in water resources. A holistic approach to water resources management needs to incorporate all significant drivers of change.Adaptive management is an approach where decisions are made taking into account space and time variations and allows adjustments to be made as more information is known. This approach is suitable and useful in dealing with the additional uncertainty introduced by potential climate change.The Greek island of Kalymnos, which belongs to the Dodecanese complex of islands in the District of Southern Aegean, is a vulnerable region due to the special conditions that occur. Severe water scarcity conditions, increased seasonal water demand, especially in summer due to tourism, less precipitation and changes in water supply distribution through time and space are the main reasons for a further deterioration of the water scarcity problem.In this paper, a set of data are combined in order to provide alternative water resources management solutions under climate change. In this sense, first the water balance of Kalymnos island is estimated and the trends of the temperature and precipitation due to climate change are evaluated. Then the findings of a field survey conducted with a representative number of respondents on Kalymnos are demonstrated. Firstly the conclusions give important information concerning among others the reliability of the utility's infrastructure and services, water quality and quantity aspects, water pricing options, WTP levels, project planning policy and public awareness, and secondly are used as feedback to formulate alternative future scenarios using the WEAP model. Priority is the shift towards more demand oriented solutions with emphasis on water conservation and protection of the environment. Kalymnos island needs a sustainable, 'demand-led' approach to water resource management, focusing on conserving water and using it more efficiently.