Abstract. The Indus basin is one of the regions in the world that is faced with major challenges for its water sector, due to population growth, rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, environmental degradation, unregulated utilization of the resources, inefficient water use and poverty, all aggravated by climate change. The Indus Basin is shared by 4 countriesPakistan, India, Afghanistan and China. With a current population of 237 million people which is projected to increase to 319 million in 2025 and 383 million in 2050, already today water resources are abstracted almost entirely (more than 95 % for irrigation). Climate change will result in increased water availability in the short term. However in the long term water availability will decrease. Some current aspects in the basin need to be re-evaluated. During the past decades water abstractions -and especially groundwater extractionshave augmented continuously to support a rice-wheat system where rice is grown during the kharif (wet, summer) season (as well as sugar cane, cotton, maize and other crops) and wheat during the rabi (dry, winter) season. However, the sustainability of this system in its current form is questionable. Additional water for domestic and industrial purposes is required for the future and should be made available by a reduction in irrigation requirements. This paper gives a comprehensive listing and description of available options for current and future sustainable water resources management (WRM) within the basin. Sustainable WRM practices include both water supply management and water demand management options. Water supply management options include: (1) reservoir management as the basin is characterised by a strong seasonal behaviour in water availability (monsoon and meltwater) and water demands; (2) water quality conservation and investment in wastewater infrastructure; (3) the use of alternative water resources like the recycling of wastewater and desalination; (4) land use planning and soil conservation as well as flood management, with a focus on the reduction of erosion and resulting sedimentation as well as the restoration of ecosystem services like wetlands and natural floodplains. Water demand management options include: (1) the management of conjunctive use of surface and groundwater; as well as (2) the rehabilitation and modernization of existing infrastructure. Other demand management options are: (3) the increase of water productivity for agriculture; (4) crop planning and diversification including the critical assessment of agricultural export, especially (basmati) rice; (5) economic instruments and (6) changing food demand patterns and limiting post-harvest losses.

The quantification of the effect of climate change on the hydrological water balance components within a catchment is invaluable for future planning within the water sector (municipal and industrial water supply, hydropower, irrigation, snowmaking). As the regional effect of global warming is somewhat uncertain, the provision of quantitative estimates with error bands is essential. Many studies only take one or a very limited sample of climate change scenarios into account. In this paper, the hydrological response to a number of regional climate change model scenarios for the end of the 21st century within the catchment of the Kitzbüheler Ache in Austria is investigated by means of a distributed hydrological model. These regional climate scenarios originate from the European PRUDENCE project. The results show a shift from a rainfall and snowmelt-dominated flow regime to a rainfall-dominated flow regime for all scenarios. A future decrease in snowmelt and a shortening in snow cover duration is observed, with an increase in winter flow, and a decrease in spring, summer and autumn flow. The typical low-flow period during winter shifts to a low-flow period during late summer and autumn. However, the magnitude of the effects depends strongly on the choice of scenario. Average annual snowmelt reduction ranges from 31 to 81%, average annual runoff reduction from 6 to 33% and average annual evapotranspiration increase from 6 to 20%. These uncertainties are also presented for a monthly and a seasonal time step. These values and observations provide for a future vision within a mountainous catchment in the European Alps. Normal future planning is within a shorter time frame (20-30 years within the water sector), but this future vision puts realistic planning in a wider context. Dans quelle mesure le changement climatique induit-il une modification de l'hydrologie alpine? Etude de cas dans les Alpes autrichiennesRésumé La quantification de l'effet du changement climatique sur les composantes du bilan hydrologique dans un bassin versant est extrêmement importante pour la planification dans le secteur de l'eau (alimentation en eau municipale et industrielle, énergie hydroélectrique, irrigation, enneigement artificiel). Comme l'effet régional du réchauffement climatique est quelque peu incertain, la fourniture d'estimations quantitatives avec des fourchettes d'erreur est essentielle. De nombreuses études ne prennent en compte qu'un échantillonnage très limité de scénar-ios de changement climatique. Dans cet article, on a étudié grâce à un modèle hydrologique distribué, la réponse hydrologique à un certain nombre de scénarios climatiques régionaux pour la fin du 21e siècle dans le bassin versant de l'Ache de Kitzbühel en Autriche. Ces scénarios climatiques régionaux proviennent du projet européen PRUDENCE. Les résultats montrent, pour tous les scénarios, le passage d'un régime dominé par la pluie et la fonte des neiges à un régime dominé par la pluie. On prévoit une diminution de la fonte des neiges et un raccourcissement de la...

The Indus basin is one of the regions in the world that is faced with major challenges for its water sector, due to population growth, rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, environmental degradation, unregulated utilization of the resources, inefficient water use and poverty, all aggravated by climate change. This paper gives a comprehensive listing and description of available options for current and future sustainable water resources management (WRM) within the basin. Sustainable WRM practices include both water supply management and water demand management options

Rural electrification is a fundamental step towards achieving universal access to electricity by 2030. On-grid rural electrification remains a costly proposition, therefore the need to consider off-grid renewable energy solutions is inevitable. However, the critical issue pertaining to local power generation through renewable energy is the absence of area-specific production capacity and economic viability data for the different renewable energy technologies. This paper addresses this issue for Pakistan's Balochistan province by assessing the area's potential and economic feasibility of using solar PV for rural electrification. The results suggest that the Balochistan province has the best solar irradiance value in the world. Furthermore, optimal tilt angles calculated for respective regions can significantly increase solar energy yield. The economic feasibility study, carried out for solar PV systems, reveals that the electricity generated using solar PV costs Rs. 7.98 per kWh and is considerably cheaper than conventional electricity, which costs approximately Rs. 20.79 per kWh. Similarly, solar PV systems could mitigate 126,000 metric tons of CO 2 annually if 100% of the unelectrified households adopted solar PV systems. Based on these research findings, this paper proposes a policy that would serve as a guideline for the government to extend solar PV-based off-grid rural electrification projects in Balochistan as well as on a national scale.