Drought and water scarcity management plan for the Peloponnese river basin districts

The drought and water scarcity management plan was drafted for the Peloponnese River Basin Districts as outlined by the implementation of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC in Greece by the Special Secretariat of Water (Ministry of Environment Energy & Climate Change). The evaluation of hydrological droughts was mainly based on precipitation data, which was used to evaluate the SPI index at several time scales (from 3-month to 5-year). Moreover, the drought hazard was evaluated, taking into consideration the demands and the water resources availability, at various spatial scales. For this aim, we developed an innovative methodology, based on the estimation of a temporally varying water exploitation index, as generalization of the typical WEI. The possibilities of predicting drought events, by using simple statistical models and evaluating the probabilities of transition from the current carrying water condition to the next are also examined. Additionally, an operational plan for drought prediction is elaborated, on the basis of representative hydrologic data that is retrieved twice a year i.e. at the end of the first trimester and semester of the hydrological year. Finally, we provide guidance for the operational implementation of the above methodology by the competent authorities and its link to specific management measures depending on the classification of each drought event, at the alert scale.