From July 1 to 2, the KICT and Korea’s Ministry of Environment jointly hosted an international conference aimed at improving hydrology and water resources practices in the Asia region under the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The conference was attended by key figures such as Kim Hwi-rin, Chief of Hydrology and Water Resources at the WMO, Kim Seung, hydrological advisor to the WMO Regional Association for Asia, and experts from the KICT. Representatives from nine Asian countries, including Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Russia, Iran, India, and Bangladesh, participated, with over 20 delegates reporting on the results of panel activities.

Since 2012, the KCIT has participated in WMO Regional Association for Asia (RA-II) activities and hydrology meetings, part of the WMO’s ongoing hydrology and water resource research, with support from the Ministry of Environment. Moreover, the KICT has played a prominent role on the WMO’s hydrological coordination panel working to enhance collaboration and coordination in the fields of hydrology and water resources across Asia.

These undertakings have allowed the KICT to develop the Dynamic Water Resources Assessment Tool (DWAT) and supply it to the 193 member countries of the WMO starting in 2019. Developed in consideration of climate change, the DWAT serves as a base for the Global Hydrological Status and Outlook System (HydroSOS), one of WMO’s key initiatives.

The HydroSOS project is of global significance to the WMO. The Asia region has been divided into four sub-regions (Southeast Asia, West Asia, Central Asia, and East Asia) for the purpose of the HydroSOS initiative. At the meeting held from July 1 to 2, developments and further plans for each sub-region were discussed.

“We will continue to support the improvement of hydrology and water resources practices in the Asia region,” President Kim Byung-suk said after the meeting. “Through this event, Korea will lead important international cooperation in the area of water, and has laid a foundation for shared success in water management in Asia.”