Water People and Cooperation

Abstract

The initiation of IHD had a profound effect on the conduct of hydrological research in Canada. The setting up of a series of small representative and experimental basins in which instrumentation and measurement techniques were standardized and which were thus comparable with similar basins set up in many other countries facilitated the development and inter-comparison of hydrological models. Canada was one of the countries that particularly benefitted from this initiative, stimulating the research community that was somewhat lagging behind in research capabilities in comparison to several other countries. Many young scientists started their research in these small research basins, many of which are still active today, providing long-term data banks of meteorological and hydrological information. IHD not only stimulated basic research into hydrological processes but created networks through which knowledge could be transferred, and in many ways encouraged scientific cooperation between East and West in the time of the Cold War. Almost immediately links were fostered and established between industrialized and less developed countries, allowing scientists to become ‘ambassadors of goodwill’. Thus IHD and, subsequently the IHP, had influence beyond strictly scientific research. Canadians were very much involved in this important networking. The success of the IHD allowed the continuation of cooperation between countries throughout the continuing decades. The number of countries involved has increased dramatically; the concept of IHD was initially embraced by a relatively small group of primarily industrialized countries but quite quickly less developed countries from all continents became involved, broadening not only types of hydro-climatic environments but also, and significantly, broadening political and socio economic diversity of situation. Following the breakup of the USSR and Yugoslavia there was a sudden increase of the number of countries seeking admission to the Intergovernmental Council of IHP. While the building of research networks, the creation of working groups and education and training have always been an integral part , the focus of the research itself has evolved over the fifty-year period. There were great challenges in getting countries and UN entities to agree on the setting up of the IHD and it was prudent, in those formative years, to decide to concentrate on understanding of basic hydrological processes. Once the Programme was established and seen to be successful, the more politically sensitive issues of water management could be incorporated into the Programme. Thus, over the past decades there has been an ever-increasing emphasis on economic and social aspects of water research. Today IHP views water security for societies as the basis of the Programme – while still acknowledging the fundamental importance of the understanding of hydrological processes. Canada has been involved from the very start of this fifty-year process and, hopefully, will continue its active involvement, both sharing its knowledge and, equally, learning from the wisdom of others.