Save the date: On 20 October you can sit down with leading water sector professionals to discuss last summer's extreme drought events, weigh the threat of future droughts triggered by climate change, and learn what works and what does not work on the road to more resilient water utilities. You don't even have to get up from your chair to be there - this is another free of charge DWP KnowNow webinar!

Few of us still show the suntan they acquired during last summer, but all of us remember vividly the impact of record heat and drought. Ships sat idle in dried-up rivers, retention basins emptied at record pace, authorities limited water use in many regions, and red alerts sounded when the water came back as flash floods during disastrous storms that threw down months' worth of rain in a few short hours.

Water professionals worry, and with very good reason. Climate extremes are a growing threat to systems that millions depend on. The weather extremes of 2022 in Europe and several other regions of the world had alarming effects. Precipitation and snow accumulation deficits severely affected water resources, most dramatically in the Po and Danube regions, but also in other river basins on the continent.

While severe droughts have occurred in the past, the 2022 extreme drought-heatwave event may be the worst on record. But absent effective mitigation and adaptation, drought and heat could well become the norm in the context of climate change.

Therefore the Danube Water program dedicates this autumn's first KnowNow webinar to the 2022 extreme event and droughts in general: How was the water services sector affected? Which measures and practices are needed to adapt to future threats? In short: How much heat can we take and how do we improve our readiness?

Sit down for an information-loaded 75 minutes with Andrea Toreti, Senior Researcher at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), Stjepan Gabric, Senior Water Supply and Sanitation Specialist at the World Bank, Andrea Di Piazza, General Director of Utilitalia, non-revenue water expert Roland Liemberger, and Mladen Nezic of Istarski Vodovod in Croatia to learn about latest scientific findings and to discuss approaches to increase water services sector resilience in the Danube region and beyond.

This latest edition of the Danube Water Program “KnowNow” webinar series on up-to-date topics relevant for the water sector in the Danube region will be held on 20 October 2022, 13:30 – 14:45 (CET). Admission is free. All you have to do to attend is register on the Event's page. For doing so, please follow the link below!