SAGE – Adaptation strategies for integrated water management

In response to climate change, the Canton of Valais adopted a Water Strategy in 2014, aimed at sustainable management of water resources through a catalog of priority measures. It is with this in mind that CREALP has drawn up the SAGE project, which aims to develop and make available new water management tools to facilitate adaptation to the climate changes that could impact the resource by 2100.

To address one of the priority needs of the Water Strategy, CREALP has been entrusted by the Canton with the analysis, design and implementation of a Water Platform. This website, which is part of the cantonal platform, provides information on water and its use in a variety of areas (drinking water, water quality, natural hazards, agriculture-industry-tourism, renewable energy, etc.). For each theme, data and indicators, legal bases, studies and publications, and useful links are provided. The platform also aims to facilitate exchanges between the various players involved in the water sector.

The SAGE project is also looking at water management in a pilot area: the commune of Bagnes. In collaboration with the HES-SO Valais-Wallis and Altis, the various uses of water are being inventoried and the water supply network mapped. The aim is to obtain an overview of water management at watershed level, and to initiate discussion with local partners on the challenges of managing the resource in the context of climate change, as well as identifying any limitations that may arise in relation to its current and future availability.