Introduction:

As water challenges intensify due to factors such climate change, population growth, and industrial expansion, the need for innovative strategies and policies in water management becomes increasingly crucial, especially in Asian countries. Addressing these challenges requires a multi-faceted approach that encompasses technological advancements, collaborative governance, policy innovation, and community engagement. The sessions under topic Innovative Strategies and Policies aim to serve as a platform for sharing insights and exchange best practices and develop scalable solutions that can subsequently enhance sustainable water management and security, including adaptive strategies to maintain and enhance water security against the backdrop of environmental change and increasing water-related risks, innovative conservation and protection mechanisms with a focus on technologies and policies that have succeeded in diverse Asian contexts, role of Public-Private Partnerships in leveraging both governmental oversight and market-driven efficiency to advance sustainable water management solutions, and collaborative aspect of water governance, promoting an inclusive approach that integrates inputs from various stakeholders.

Introduction:

Modern information technology has achieved significant advancement in recent years. Cloud computing, big data, Internet of Things, mobile internet and artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly applied to the intelligent management of water systems. Some  countries have included digital twin technology in their national strategies and continue to promote research and development in this field. To promote the application of modern information technology in smart water management, Asian countries gradually started the construction of digital twin basins, digital twin water networks and related water conservancy projects. Monitoring , data acquisition and fusion, models and knowledge platforms are the foundation for achieving intelligent water conservancy and digital twin commercialization. In order to promote the implementation and application of the AI technology of water conservancy, it is urgent to carry out in-depth discussions from the aspects of multi-source observation of water systems, water conservancy knowledge acquisition, big data and artificial intelligence application, and water system operation and management.

Introduction:

The 6th IPCC report points out that global climate change has significantly changed the global water cycle, with increased frequency of extreme hydrological events such as heavy precipitation, floods, and droughts, posing a threat to socio-economic development and ecosystem stability. Therefore, countries are faced with the challenge of establishing a modern management system for flood prevention and drought relief, especially for risk management. Asia is a region severely affected by floods and droughts, and thus governments at all levels and relevant practitioners are vigorously exploring response measures for basin floods, flash floods, and drought disasters, strengthening the reserve of flood control and drought relief materials, and boosting the capacity building of mobile rescue teams and drought relief service organizations, and actively exploring and establishing effective measures for flood and drought disaster relief. More efforts are contributed to improving the construction of large river embankments and flood storage and detention areas, strengthening reservoir management, monitoring and building early warning system, with a focus on improving the engineering capacity of flood control and drought resistance. In this context, it is very meaningful and necessary to discuss the relationship between climate change and water related disasters as we work to ensure the sustainable social development.

Introduction:

Access to clean water, energy and food production are under increasing pressure from different global processes, such as a rising global population and climate change. Water and electricity demand are expected to increase by more than 50% by 2050 and irrigated land must increase by around 60% to meet future food security needs.

A disconnection between water, energy and food systems can be identified which affect the sustainable planning and operation of all systems. This condition has hampered the progress toward realising both the water and climate change related SDG targets. For example, the negative impacts of climate change on the water cycle can rapidly cascade down across sectors and heavily impact water availability and quality, energy production, food security and agricultural markets. Adequately understanding intersectoral impacts can open up opportunities for intersectoral cooperation that deliver adaptation and mitigation benefits simultaneously across sectors. The Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus can assist countries in recognizing the necessity for joint, intersectoral planning at national and transboundary levels.  Therefore, it is important to carry out in-depth discussion on how to ensure water supply and water-use efficiency for food and energy production, achieve sustainable hydropower development and energy transition to enhance climate resilience through optimal water management, especially with the help of emerging technologies.

Introduction:

In the past decades, increasing attention has been paid to watershed ecosystem health, which is not only related to the maintenance and protection of ecosystem diversity in the river basin, but also directly affects the sustainable development of social, economic and environmental dimensions in the watershed. Water is not only a core component of watershed ecosystems, but also a pillar of sustainable development. In the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) framework，sustainable water resources and healthy ecosystems are closely linked with at least 14 of the 17 goals. Watershed ecosystem had been one of the most seriously affected ecosystems by human activities since the industrial revolution. Only 37% of rivers longer than 1,000 km remain free-flowing for their entire length, and 23% flow uninterrupted into the sea. Freshwater ecosystems account for only 1% of the world's surface area, but nourish more than 51% of the world's fish species. According to the 2021 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), assessment of the conservation status of 10,336 freshwater fish species (56% of the total species), about a third of freshwater fish species are under threat of extinction, of which 80 have been declared extinct. More than 50% of the fish fauna in the world's 2,456 rivers are strongly affected by human activities, and 34% of freshwater invertebrates are also considered endangered. Human activities have seriously affected the structure and function of the watershed ecosystem, such as non-point pollution, eutrophication, biodiversity reduction, habitats loss of diversity and connectivity, excessive consumption of water resources and insufficient ecological flow, have become the main factors affecting the watershed ecosystem. It is critically necessary to rethink the balancing role of water conservation among economies, societies and ecosystems, and maintain healthy watershed ecosystems and sustainable socio-economic development.

Introduction: