Water Resilience Assessment Framework

A traditional saying in China is that the water that holds the boat afloat is the same that sinks it. In the context of climate change, water is both a threat and a solution for most climate impacts. Climate change is driving many types of water challenges, such as water scarcity and abundance, worsening water quality, and shifts in timing of the hydrologic cycle. Shocks and stresses, both predictable and unforeseen, affect the resilience of water systems and the stakeholders that rely on them. Specific guidance on how to understand system resilience and measure systematic changes and intervening actions can ensure a more resilient future for all.

The Water Resilience Assessment Framework (WRAF) is intended to inform resilient decision-making to avoid shocks and stresses from becoming crises. The WRAF emphasizes water resilience, not only because water is vital for life, but also because water is embedded in nearly every aspect of our daily lives and the systems that enable and fuel our economies—often in ways we cannot see and do not regularly think about. As such, the WRAF is a method to be used, either individually or collectively, along with existing water-management processes and approaches to gain insight into how we measure progress towards building long-term water resilience.