Functions of hydrological services
Accurate information on the condition and trend of a country's water resources – surface and subsurface, quantity and quality – is required for economic and social development and for the maintenance of environmental quality. Uses of water resources information are many and varied. Almost every sector of a nation's economy uses water information for planning, development or operational purposes. Water is of inestimable value to all countries, and as competition for water increases, water information grows in value. Because the cost of government programes must be properly justified, it is becoming very important to demonstrate the benefits of hydrological information (WMO, 1990). Ratios of benefit to cost of up to 40:1 have been cited (that is, the value of the information is 40 times its cost of collection). Benefit–cost ratios in the range 5 to 10 seen to be generally plausible, with values of 9.3 and 6.4 being found in studies in Canada and...
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(1998). Hydrological services . In: Encyclopedia of Hydrology and Lakes. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Dordrecht . https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4497-6_118
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4497-6_118
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