HydroBID

Intense rainfall events and prolonged drought are becoming more frequent across Latin America and the Caribbean region, as in many parts of the world. In mountainous regions, the loss of water storage in glaciers could cause long-term reductions in river flows and groundwater recharge—resulting in stress on water supplies for people, crops and ecosystems, as well as reduced hydroelectric generating capacity.

As part of its commitment to help member countries adapt to climate variability and change, the Inter-American Development Bank sponsored RTI International to develop and implement an integrated suite of watershed modeling tools known as HydroBID. The system includes hydrology and climate analysis modules to estimate freshwater availability at the regional, basin and sub-basin scales. It also includes economic analysis and decision support tools to estimate the costs and benefits of adaptive measures; this information helps you make informed choices among alternative designs for infrastructure projects and alternative policies for water resources management.

The RTI Center for Water Resources has implemented HydroBID in more than 11 countries and trained over 400 people to use it as a key planning tool in various types of organizations:

• Water resources planning and management agencies
• Drainage/flood control authorities
• Irrigation authorities
• Hydroelectric power generators
• Water supply and sanitation utilities
• Industrial water users

Learn more about the RTI Center for Water Resources