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To make an impact, scientists should engage with stakeholders and policy-makers to understand the needs and constraints of decision-making. Working at the intersection of science and policy, where knowledge and action converge, paves the way for a sustainable and thriving future.
A fourteen-year-old report mobilized a number of water stakeholders but, taken out of context, its results also led to a misunderstanding of the water crisis and its solutions.
Can flood hazards be predicted precisely and accurately at the scale of individual buildings? A consideration of the uncertainties in most inundation modelling suggests not.
Although often ignored or belittled by irrigation engineers and development planners, vernacular and counter designs in irrigation should be considered as valuable and complementary to the mainstream approaches of engineers and planners.
The opinions and desires of young researchers and youth action groups should be considered when planning solutions to water-related challenges at local and global scales.
The health and non-health impacts of water collection and other water-related work should be monitored and considered in policies and programs to improve women’s lives.
Academics, funders and publishers need to support interdisciplinary research processes in which social sciences are placed on an equal footing with the natural sciences and engineering.