As the global population grows, there is an increasing demand for water that creates significant challenges to the sustainability of our current approaches to sharing water resources. In addition, we are faced with increasing uncertainty associated with the changing climate, which, combined with our growing population, increasingly expose our communities to natural hazards. Society can address these challenges by building resilience into our current water resource management approaches.
By using digital technologies such as modelling, digital twins and decision support systems, DHI enables the assessment of risks and making risk-informed decisions. Over the course of 2022, we have supported capacity building efforts in an increasing number of countries and local communities to achieve a more resilient community by designing and implementing science-based tools for effective planning and management of floods, droughts, water scarcity and protection of freshwater ecosystems.
The transition of our global energy system from fossil fuel-based to more sustainable electrification-based systems is creating an increase in demand for critical minerals, estimated to require a sevenfold increase in the global mining industry. DHI works with the mining industry to develop more sustainable approaches to water management from mine dewatering, trailing management and reducing the overall footprint of a mine on available water resources in a catchment context.
Our solutions include:
Transboundary water management – working with national and local authorities to foster transboundary dialogue and integrated management of water resources across boundaries
Flooding and drought mitigation – supporting cities, coastal communities and governments to protect community assets against flooding and drought with analytical tools and forecasting techniques to test different climate scenarios and potential mitigation measures such as dikes, sluices and pumps for flood prevention and alleviating the consequences of drought
Freshwater systems infrastructure – optimising freshwater infrastructure operations through digital solutions that include climate adaptation analyses, data-backed investment strategies, damage loss impact analyses, flood prevention schemes and emergency planning
Water management in mining – including groundwater extraction planning for open-pit dewatering e.g., modelling the geology and geometry of a mine site while considering geochemical and hydrologic conditions for protecting ground water environments