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Water Stories Podcast

SEI US experts break down complex topics, from water management in California to how fires affect Bolivia’s water balance, in this podcast series on water.

Published on 7 March 2022
Orthorectified Radar Image of Koyukuk River in Alaska

An IFSAR-derived image of the Koyukuk River in Alaska, US. Original data from Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys. Photo: Daniel Coe / Flickr.

Life depends on water. Not only do we need it to drink, but it is key to human development, from sanitation to agriculture, and to the ecosystems around us.

Water Stories is a podcast about the world of water. SEI experts break down complex topics, such as efforts to manage water in California, the importance of giving ecosystems a “voice” in water planning, the intersection of poverty and water availability, and the role of computer models in managing water amid a changing climate.

Find a complete list of episodes and listen on the following podcast platforms:

Podcast contact and co-host

Learn more about the SEI US Water Program


Season 2 Episode 2

Smallholder farmers are essential for communities and our planet’s protection. In this new episode of Water Stories, we will discuss with our guest Rikin Gandhi, CEO of Digital Green, how to empower smallholder farmers to lift themselves out of poverty and how this exciting goal is linked with the Stockholm Environment Institute initiative Water Beyond Boundaries.


Season 2 Episode 1

In water management, we have to think about all those involved, communities, scientists, technology, and of course, the ecosystems that play an essential role on a small or large scale.

During the second season’s first episode conversation, we discuss Water Beyond Boundaries broadly and the main goals of this initiative. One of the pillars of the Water Beyond Boundaries initiative is natural ecosystems.

In this episode, we will talk with our guest Max Stevenson, Streamkeeper from The Solano County Water Agency in California, about protecting those parts of our natural ecosystems, like the Chinook Salmon and Putah Creek’s history, and its connection with Water Beyond Boundaries.


Episode 12

Adopting a narrow water narrative in one locale may lead to misinterpreting specific local challenges or denying how water is transferred through products or economic or physical connections across scales. This episode presents how current water management approaches consider natural and social processes beyond traditional political boundaries.

Cláudia Coleoni, a Research Associate at SEI Latin America, discusses how local water goes global and the concept of teleconnections in water management, using case studies from Colombia.


Episodio 11

El acceso al agua es el mayor riesgo para la prosperidad mundial y para abordar los ODS. Los sectores involucrados enfrentan múltiples desafíos con respecto a la gestión del agua. La iniciativa Water Beyond Boundaries o Agua sin Límites del Stockholm Environment Institute busca transformar el proceso actual de toma de decisiones alrededor de la gestión del agua para responder a estos retos con sectores como la agricultura, gobernanza, ciencia, negocios, tecnología tanto de manera local como global.

En este primer episodio de la segunda temporada de nuestro podcast tenemos como invitadas a Marisa Escobar, Directora del Programa de Agua en SEI US, con sede en la oficina de Davis, California. Su trabajo se centra en la creación de vínculos entre los procesos físicos y los sistemas socio-ecológicos y Tania Santos, investigadora en SEI Latinoamérica, con sede en Bogotá, Colombia y que cuenta con más de 12 años de experiencia trabajando en gestión integrada del agua con instituciones locales, regionales y nacionales en Colombia.

Las invitadas nos explican los avances de esta gran iniciativa cómo el agua local se debe ver y gerenciar de manera globalizada, es decir, más allá de las frontera.


Episodio 10

La gestión de conocimientos es fundamental para empoderar a las poblaciones, para que sean capaces de planificar y gestionar sus propias mejoras. En este ámbito, sin embargo, todavía es posible observar brechas de género. La participación de las mujeres en los procesos de formación, especialmente en ámbitos rurales suele ser escasa; aún hay diferencias en las percepciones sobre formadores mujeres y hombres y existen brechas para el acceso y participación de las mujeres en las capacitaciones, debido al escaso tiempo que deja el trabajo y la atención de las necesidades del hogar.

Estos y otros contextos son analizados por las cuatro invitadas de este último episodio de la serie Mujeres y Agua del Programa Bolivia WATCH del Instituto de Ambiente de Estocolmo SEI.

Invitadas :

  • Melina Balderrama – Coordinadora Nacional del Programa Bolivia WATCH
  • Cristina Albarracín – Consultora del Programa / Especialista en calidad hídrica
  • Valeria Burgos – Consultora del Programa / Especialista en género
  • Blanca Vega – Consultora del Programa / Especialista en sistemas de Georreferenciación SIG

Este episodio fue conducido y producido por nuestra colaboradora en Bolivia Estefanía Rada.

Visita: www.sei.org y Bolivia WATCH.

Episodio 9

En este episodio se aborda el tema muy interesante acerca de las brechas en el acceso al agua y el saneamiento que enfrentan las mujeres desde la perspectiva de género.

Las invitadas que comparten sus opiniones acerca de este importante tema son:

  • Laura Forni, Científica Senior en el Stockholm Environment Institute, Davis, California, Estados Unidos.
  • Cecilia Tapia, Ingeniera del medio ambiente y asesora/investigadora del programa Bolivia WATCH.
  • Carla Liera, Investigadora asociada en la sede principal de SEI en Estocolmo, Suecia.

Este episodio fue conducido y producido por nuestra colaboradora en Bolivia Estefanía Rada.

Visita: www.sei.org Bolivia WATCH


Episodio 8

El Día Internacional de las Niñas y Mujeres en la Ciencia este 2022 se celebró bajo el lema “El agua nos une: Equidad, Diversidad, Inclusión”. Cada vez más, el rol de las mujeres desde la ciencia, la investigación y las entidades de cooperación se hace fundamental para comprender las realidades en torno al acceso a agua y saneamiento.

En este episodio participan tres profesionales expertas en la gerencia del agua y evaluamos desde su perspectiva la efectiva participación de las mujeres en la ciencia, nuestras invitadas comparten sus experiencias, retos a los que se enfrentaron y enfrentan, así como también algunas expectativas a futuro en este interesante campo profesional.

Este episodio fue conducido y producido por nuestra colaboradora en Bolivia Estefanía Rada.

Visita: www.sei.org y Bolivia WATCH.


Season 1 Episode 7

World Water Day began in 1993 and since then has been an annual United Nations Observance focusing on the importance of water.

World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness for people living without safe water or access to water. The core focus of World Water Day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 6, which is clean water and sanitation for all by 2030.

The central theme this year is Groundwater: Making The Invisible Visible.
In this episode, our guests are Chuck Young and Vishal Mehta. They are both scientists from the Stockholm Environment Institute with vast experience in sustainable water management and sharing their insights and honor World Water Day 2022.

Show notes

Mentions:

World Water Day
Sustainable Development Goal 6
BUMP
“California Has Begun Managing Groundwater Under a New Law. Experts Aren’t Sure It’s Working,” by Elena Shao, Inside Climate News
“India seeks to arrest its alarming decline in groundwater,” by John Roome, World Bank Blogs
California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act


Season 1 Episode 6

Bangalore Urban Metabolism Project (BUMP) is a joint initiative of the Stockholm Environment Institute and the Centre for Public Policy at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. BUMP’s goal is to treat cities as living entities that use energy and resources, and to understand the connections between water and energy as the city’s population grows.

In this episode, SEI Senior Scientist and BUMP principal investigator Vishal Mehta discusses topics related to BUMP, such as computer models, household water sources and the role of government agencies in water management and research.

Show notes

Mentions:

BUMP
Cities Alliance
Dr. Sat Kumar Tomer
Indian Institute of Science (and Dr. Muddu Sekhar)
Indian Institute of Management (and Dr. Deepak Malghan)
WEAP
BBMP (Bangalore municipal government)
Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board


Season 1 Episode 5

The primary goal of technology and planning in water management is to provide sufficient, but sustainable, water to cities, industries, farmlands and ecosystems. In this episode, SEI’s Jack Sieber discusses SEI’s essential water modeling tool WEAP (Water Evaluation And Planning).

Show notes

Mentions:

WEAP main website
SEI’s WEAP work
WEAP on YouTube
California Sustainable Groundwater Management Act


Season 1 Episode 4

The Chiquitano Forest is the largest of the world’s few remaining dry forest ecosystems. Mainly located in Bolivia, it sits between South America’s two most extensive river basins: the Amazon and La Plata. Fires occur every year in the area, but in 2019, they spiraled out of control and burned almost 10%  of the Santa Cruz Department. In this episode, SEI’s Jeanne Fernandez and Bart Wickel discusses their work modeling groundwater dynamics in the context of fire impacts, as part of Bolivia WATCH (WASH Thinking Connected to Hydrology).

Show notes

Mentions:

SEI: Bolivia WATCH
SEI: WATCH Chiquitania
SEI brief on Chiquitania fires and water resources
Bolivian Ministry of Environment and Water (Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Agua)
Agua Sustentable
Fundación para la Conservación del Bosque Chiquitano (FCBC)
Observatorio Bosque Seco Chiquitano


Season 1 Episode 3

The United Nations World Water Development Report 2021 emphasizes the need to recognize, measure, and express the value of water, in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the 2030 Agenda. In this episode. SEI’s Laura Forni and Annette Huber-Lee share their experiences on why it is essential to raise awareness about the value of water.

Show notes

Mentions:

SEI: Valuing water
SEI: Bolivia WATCH
Rwanda Water Resources Board
SEI: Poverty, water and gender in Cambodia
UN World Water Development Report 2021: Valuing Water
The World Bank: Water


Season 1 Episode 2

Ecosystems are critical elements of the global water cycle. In this episode, SEI’s Marisa Escobar and Doug Chalmers share the importance of freshwater ecosystems in California. They discuss the threats faced by aquatic species, especially salmon, from climate change, as well as how to allocate water for environmental flows and technology’s role in understanding the trade-offs and opportunities of different water management options.

Show notes

Mentions:

Water: A Biography
Journal article on Butte Creek research
California State Water Resources Control Board
Santa Clara Valley Water District
Maven’s Notebook
California WaterBlog
California Environmental Flows Framework (CEFF)
California Data Exchange Center
SEI: Water for Ecosystems and Livelihoods


Season 1 Episode 1

In this episode, SEI’s Brian Joyce and Chuck Young share the importance of managing water under climate variability and climate change, as well as the impacts of climate change on water systems and the sustainability of groundwater in California.

Show notes

Mentions:

California State Water Resources Control Board
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA)
Water Education Foundation
PPIC Water Policy Center
Maven’s Notebook


Trailer

Water is fundamental to human development, from drinking water and sanitation to agriculture and more. You listen to “Water Stories,” a podcast series where you will learn everything about securing water, energy, and food security for all of us.

* Hosts: Vishal Mehta and Juan Carlos Giraldo

Profile picture of Brian Joyce
Brian Joyce

Senior Scientist

SEI US

Profile picture of Charles A. Young
Charles A. Young

Senior Scientist

SEI US

Doug Chalmers

Scientist

SEI US

Laura Forni

Acting Water Program Director

SEI US

Profile picture of Annette Huber-Lee
Annette Huber-Lee

Senior Scientist

SEI US

Profile picture of Jack Sieber
Jack Sieber

Senior Scientist

SEI US

Tania Santos

Research Fellow

SEI Latin America

Carla Liera
Carla Liera

Research Associate

SEI Headquarters

Cláudia Coleoni

Research Associate

SEI Latin America

Profile picture of Brian Joyce
Brian Joyce

Senior Scientist

SEI US

Profile picture of Charles A. Young
Charles A. Young

Senior Scientist

SEI US

Doug Chalmers

Scientist

SEI US

Laura Forni

Acting Water Program Director

SEI US

Profile picture of Annette Huber-Lee
Annette Huber-Lee

Senior Scientist

SEI US

Profile picture of Jack Sieber
Jack Sieber

Senior Scientist

SEI US

Marina Mautner

Scientist

SEI US

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