UNESCO launched the Worldwide Hydrogeological Mapping and Assessments Programme (WHYMAP) in 1999 as a joint effort of UNESCO-IHP and the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources .The aims of the project are to summarize groundwater information on global scale, establish a database containing geo-referenced data, produce a groundwater map of the world at a 1:25 million scale, and evaluate global recharge rates under present climatic conditions and under future climate change scenarios. The knowledge of groundwater recharge rates is of crucial importance in the framework of integrated water resources management. A WHYMAP Consortium was established, comprising UNESCO (IHP and IGCP), the International Association of Hydrogeologists, the Commission for the Geological Map of the World and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Contacts:
::  S. Grego, Associate Expert, SC/HYD
::  A. Aureli, Programme Specialist, SC/HYD