During the World Hydropower Congress in Addis Ababa, IHA and the World Bank organised a workshop on ‘State-of-the-art sediment management practices’ on 7 May 2017. The purpose of the workshop was to further explore best practices in sediment management for implementation at the planning, design, operation and maintenance phase of hydropower reservoirs.

The common consensus was that every reservoir needs a long-term sustainability strategy, which underscores the need to share knowledge on sediment management practices. Monitoring is essential for understanding the impact of sediment management, and to provide the information needed to develop cost-effective management strategies tailored to the specific conditions at each site.  

A focus session organised during the congress on 11 May on ‘Approaches for sediment management’ further explored how sediment management is addressed at different levels, and how companies are approaching this issue. Are there new approaches to sediment management from research, governmental and non-governmental institutions? Are there partnerships between companies and other institutions to address sediment management? Are there financial mechanisms for sediment management?