Democratizing access to water data is the watchword of the Global Water Watch initiative. The basis for effective planning, anticipation and adaptation is access to information. In Poland, as in the rest of Europe, we can obtain environmental data, including those on water quality and quantity, drought or flood risk, without much trouble.
- Data on the state of surface waters is published by the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection.
- Data on flood and drought risk can be found on the Water Authority’s hydroportal.
- Information on river flows is provided by the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management PIB.
- Groundwater data are provided by the National Geological Institute PIB.
However, such information is not readily available everywhere. Many countries do not have adequate procedures or tools to publish them.
Global Water Watch, an initiative backed by Google, Deltares, WRI, WWF and the Water, Peace and Security Partnership, was created to address the issue. It is a platform with free water data. The project was inaugurated on World Water Day.
The platform’s current functionality is still limited, but it is already possible to obtain data on reservoirs around the world, including changes in their surface area. Of course, the development of the range of information made available is to be expected. This is because the idea behind Global Water Watch is to ensure universality and equality in access to water knowledge.