From 03 April to 09 April 2022, the International Alumni Expert Seminar "Climate-related challenges in water management - from floods to low water (droughts) in Latin America" took place in Medellín, Colombia. The seminar was funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and organised by the University of Siegen and the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Medellín. A total of 27 experts from companies, universities and research institutions from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Germany, Guatemala, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela participated in the seminar.
The aim of the seminar was to familiarise responsible municipalities, representatives from business, science, authorities and other stakeholders with various strategies and contexts of climate-related challenges in water management.
Dr. Gloria Robleto, research associate in the department Water & Energy, gave a lecture on 5 April 2022 on the topic "Application of an integrated model-based approach for the management of the water resources of the megacity of Lima (Peru) considering the impacts of climate change, population development, and drinking water consumption patterns".
The main topics of the seminar included:
- Implementation of technical measures in rural areas (e.g. measures against erosion/landslides, expansion of retention areas), in water bodies and sewer networks and for stormwater management
- Spatial planning taking into account floods and low water/drought
- Alarm and hazard prevention planning (transport planning, modelling)
- Low water management (management of reservoirs, water reuse)
- The individual main topics were introduced by means of lectures and deepened and discussed by means of application examples.
