Integrating Stakeholders’ Preferences into Water Resources Management Planning in the Incomati River Basin

Stakeholder participation is a key principle of the integrated water resources management. It is a central issue in planning and decision making processes for the development of suitable water resources management strategies at the river basin level. This study tests a methodology for identifying stakeholders’ preferences regarding water resources management objectives, to incorporate them in the design of water resources management plans at the river basin level. The empirical application of this study focused in Mozambique, on the Incomati river basin. This research applies the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method to evaluate stakeholders’ involvement and participation in the selection of water resources management plans. This research revealed that there are heterogeneities in stakeholders’ individual groups preferences regarding water resources management objectives and the management options of their satisfaction. Furthermore it revealed the potential utility of the AHP methodological framework in facilitating stakeholders’ participation and involvement in planning and decision-making processes for the development of water resources management plans. The application of this approach may improve water governance at the river basin level through higher commitments of stakeholders to the proposed objectives.     

Multi-criteria Decision Analysis: A Strategic Planning Tool for Water Loss Management

Water utilities particularly in the developing countries continue to operate with considerable inefficiencies in terms of water and revenue losses. With increasing water demand and scarcity, utilities require effective strategies for optimum use of available water resources. Diverse water loss reduction options exist. Deciding on which option to choose amidst conflicting multiple criteria and different interests of stakeholders is a challenging task. In this paper, an integrated multi-criteria decision-aiding framework for strategic planning of water loss management is presented. The PROMETHEE II method was applied within the framework in prioritizing water loss reduction options for Kampala city. A strategic plan that combines selective mains and service lines replacement and pressure management as priorities is the best compromise based on preferences of the decision makers and seven evaluation criteria characterized by financial-economic, environmental, public health, technical and social impacts. The results show that the most preferred options are those that enhance water supply reliability, public health and water conservation measures. This study demonstrates how decision theory coupled with operational research techniques could be applied in practice to solve complex water management and planning problems.     

An Interval Fuzzy Multiobjective Watershed Management Model for the Lake Qionghai Watershed, China

Integrated watershed management is required to ensure the reasonable use of resources and reconcile interactions among natural and human systems. In the present study, an interval fuzzy multiobjective programming (IFMOP) method was used to solve an integrated watershed management problem. Based on system analysis, an IFMOP model suitable for a lake watershed system {IFMOPLWS} was developed and applied to the Lake Qionghai watershed in China. Scenario analysis and an interactive approach were used in the solution process. In this manner, various system components were incorporated into one framework for holistic consideration and optimization. Integrality and uncertainty, as well as the multiobjective and dynamic characteristics of the watershed system, were well addressed. Using two scenarios, two planning schemes were generated. Agriculture, tourism, macroeconomics, cropland use, water supply, forest coverage, soil erosion, and water pollution were fully interpreted and compared to identify a preferable planning alternative for local agencies. This study showed that the IFMOPLWS is a powerful tool for integrated watershed management planning and can provide a solid base for sustainable watershed management.     

Structural Modeling and Analysis of Water Resources Development and Management System: A Graph Theoretic Approach

An attempt is made to develop an integrated system model for the structure of water resources development and management system. The system consists of five subsystems such as watershed management, groundwater development, surface water management, field level development and climate change along with interactions between them. The system is first modelled in the form of hierarchical tree and integrative block diagram for better understanding and analysis. Graph theoretic and matrix models are then developed for storage, retrieval and computer processing. Variable permanent matrix model and variable permanent function in the form of multinomial are the structural models of the system and characterize the water resources development and management system conclusively. Permanent function presents a powerful and exhaustive analysis procedure to generate alternate solutions for the decision makers for the benefit of stakeholders. Coefficient of similarity and dissimilarity are useful matrix for comparing different solutions. SWOT analysis is proposed before taking final and optimum decision on different issues related to water resources development and management system. An illustrative example of groundwater development subsystem is taken to demonstrate the application of methodology.     

行为经济与自然过程耦合视角下的水资源复杂系统建模研究

在水资源供需矛盾日益严峻的形势下,如何动态刻画变化环境下个体与群体的用水行为响应与系统演化路径,建立有效的适应性管理策略已成为水资源管理者和研究者普遍关注的问题。在梳理了国内外水资源适应性管理模型的研究进展的基础上,以密云水库流域上、下游用水主体的竞争与优化配置建模为例,解析了不同气候条件下农业水资源利用主体的响应行为模式,设计了从微观个体用水行为适应自然变化过程模拟宏观流域系统演化的建模技术路线。提出耦合农村与城市的水资源配置模型框架,系统评估了多智能体建模仿真工具现状,遵循多智能体的ODD协议与粒子群优化算法,构建了气候变化情景下农户自适应用水行为模型,为多智能体模型在人水耦合系统建模、流域尺度的水资源优化配置、适应性管理决策分析提供了借鉴依据。     

Participatory dam systems modelling: a case study of the transboundary Guadiana River in the Iberian Peninsula.

Modelling tools have been widely used to investigate best management practices. But in contrast to the plethora of modelling studies, the practical implementation of outcomes is comparatively small. There is an urgent need to implement results and to show the practical validation of the concept developed, especially against the context of water stress mitigation. The participative development of modelling studies as a joint effort of stakeholders and modellers is seen as a key to achieve a wider identification, acceptance, trust and applicability of results. Participatory planning in the water sector is also increasingly requested in water management, where tasks have been for clarified decades through different institutional arrangements and national laws. Stakeholder involvement in water resources management have been limited to what was long time seen as participation, merely information on action to be taken. In the last decade the need for participation has been reflected in different ways. In Europe, the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) under Art. 14, requires all the European countries to involve stakeholders in decision making processes on water resource management. The aim of this paper is to present and discuss the research framework and possible results of investigating dam modelling through participatory systems modelling. We introduce a structured approach to use participatory modelling (PM) for stimulating the integration of modelling and decision making, also as a way of implementation of some articles of the WFD. The results and the framing of this paper are part of the AQUASTRESS Project. The conceptual modelling has been developed by a multidisciplinary research team, local stakeholders and local experts. Some results are discussed and recommendations made.     

A Multicriteria Group Decision Model to Support Watershed Committees in Brazil

The involvement of multiple decision makers in water resources management can be very complex, involving the possibilities of conflicts amongst the stakeholders and the influence of powerful members over the preference of others. The inherent characteristic of decisions also increases this complexity due to many alternatives being involved and there being multiple criteria. Some of these criteria conflict with each other and the consequences of which will have great impact on those involved and on third parties. Therefore, a group decision support system model based on multicriteria analysis can be a powerful tool to support this kind of management. This study presents a tool to support the committee responsible for the management of the watersheds in Brazil in order to promote decentralization and the participation of all involved in the water resources management. The tool provides a ranking of alternatives for the environmental recuperation of the watershed through the use of the multicriteria method PROMETHEE II. For each decision maker, the alternatives were ranked and then the individual rankings were combined into a global ranking which contained the preferences of the whole group.     

An Approach for Supporting Problem Structuring in Water Resources Management and Planning

The watershed committees in Brazil often face difficulties to find out consensus solution for problems in water resources management and planning, due to multiple participants with different backgrounds, differences of opinion, conflict of interests and differences in perceiving and interpretation of problem and solution. This situation results in conflicts and consequently put activities of committees at risk. The Problem Structuring Methods – PSMs are techniques to structure problems and analyze similar type of problems. PSMs offer a way of representing the situation to provide clarity to participants in understanding the problem and lead to converging on potential agreeable actions for at least partial resolutions. This paper presents a group decision approach for supporting water resources management and planning, based on the use of the PSM Strategic Options Development and Analysis – SODA, which performs the cognitive mapping of individuals. The approach promotes a common understanding about a complex situation under investigation, assisting the group in identification of a course of actions for solving the problem. The approach is intended to support Brazilian watershed committees and it was applied to the committee of the Paraíba River watershed in northeastern Brazil. Using this approach, the committee identified inadequate watershed management as a major issue that must be undertaken in order to achieve mitigation of watershed degradation.     

The Role of the Sahara in Food Production

ABSTRACT

Capacity building is foremost a global concept and a strategic element in the sustainable development of the water sector. This is a long-term continuing process that needs to permeate all activities in the sector. In developing countries, experience shows that institutional weakness and malfunctions are a major cause of ineffective and unsustainable water services. Urgent attention needs to be given to build institutional capacity at all levels. Pressure for improved local delivery of water services suggests that development of institutional capacity should be more demand-responsive. The need to better manage overall water resources coherently and to facilitate allocation of water among all users requires an expansion of national integrated planning. The critical institutional challenge is the development of policies, rules, organizations and management skills which address both needs simultaneously without constraining the major aims of each. It must be recognized that each country and region has its specific characteristics and requirements with respect to its water resources situation and its institutional framework. Therefore, operational strategies for water sector capacity building must be tailor-made. Such strategies should be long term, having the main objectives of improving the quality of decision making, and sector efficiency of managerial performance in the planning and implementation of water sector programmes and projects. This paper covers the capacity building issue for water resources development and management. The institutional and human resources issues as well as building marginal capabilities in developing countries receive particular emphasis.     

A Participatory Process Approach to Development of a Comprehensive Water Resources Management Plan for Sri Lanka

ABSTRACT

A strategic framework and action plan for comprehensive water resources management in Sri Lanka were developed, using a “participatory process approach.” This approach incorporated a number of elements, including seminars of the steering committee of senior oficials, a series of technical workshops facilitated by international experts, numerous interviews of officials and stakeholders, field inspections, consultation and synthesis of documentation, and a final two-day workshop/retreat. The emphasis of the process was to draw on the widest possible range of skills and to obtain a consensus among all stakeholders. The intended project outputs, the strategic framework and action plan, were successfully achieved. In addition, less tangible but possibly more important outcomes that were achieved included agreement to the framework and plan by senior officials from virtually all water-sector organizations, a heightened level of interaction and understanding of others' perspectives among officials and stakeholders, and an enhanced level of knowledge of alternate approaches to water resources management.

A number of conclusions can be drawn from the exercise. Perhaps most significant is the crucial importance of negotiation and communication skills, in addition to the more familiar technical skills and knowledge required in water sector planning and management.     

Integrated Water Resource Development Plan for Sustainable Management of Mayurakshi Watershed, India using Remote Sensing and GIS

Integrated watershed management requires a host of inter-related information to be generated and studied in relation to each other. Remote sensing technique provides valuable and up-to-date spatial information on natural resources and physical terrain parameters. Geographical Information System (GIS) with its capability of integration and analysis of spatial, aspatial, multi-layered information obtained in a wide variety of formats both from remote sensing and other conventional sources has proved to be an effective tool in planning for watershed development. In this study, area and locale specific watershed development plans were generated for Mayurakshi watershed, India using remote sensing and GIS techniques. Adopting Integrated Mission for Sustainable Development (IMSD) guidelines, decision rules were framed. Using the overlay and decision tree concepts water resource development plan was generated. Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS-1C), Linear Imaging Self Scanner (LISS-III) satellite data along with other field and collateral data on lithology, soil, slope, well inventory, fracture have been utilized for generating land use/land cover and hydro geomorphology of the study area, which are an essential prerequisites for water resources planning and development. Spatial data integration and analyses are carried out in GIS environment.     

Upper San Pedro Basin: fostering collaborative binational watershed management

Successful binational planning and management of water resources is a complex process dependent on informed decision‐making across diverse economic, social and political sectors. Additional technical and scientific information is often required as a part of this process. A critical factor in this process is how effectively social and physical scientists can help build collaboration and trust among stakeholders, water and land managers, and policy‐makers. Within the international San Pedro River Basin, disparities between Mexico and the USA regarding economic development and political orientation, combined with a highly variable and complex physical setting, suggest that the successful engagement of scientists with communities and stakeholders will be essential for addressing challenges in water management. Based upon concepts associated with collective action theory, adaptive management and conflict resolution, the present paper proposes a process for fostering collaborative binational water management in basins such as the San Pedro that span international borders.     

流域综合治理一体化管控平台系统解决方案

为系统解决流域水环境问题,践行“流域统筹、系统治理”的理念,以某市流域综合治理项目为例,阐述流域综合治理一体化管控平台系统解决方案。该平台通过建设水质、污水管网等监测监控感知体系,并整合流域水环境、水务及市政相关管理信息资源,实现流域水质、管网等相关信息的实时处理与呈现,再经大数据分析,为流域提供实时水质预报、预警,并实现以目标为导向的智能化运维管理,为流域水环境长治久清提供信息化决策支持。该平台作为流域综合治理工程的重要非工程措施,其设计成果已通过专家评审,正在推进实施。     

Towards integrated catchment management: increasing the dialogue between scientists,policy‐makers and stakeholders

The aim of the Hydrology for the Environment, Life and Policy (HELP) project is to strengthen the role and inputs of the scientific community in the integrated catchment management process. Water resources management in the 21st century requires a radical reorientation and an effective dialogue between decision‐makers, stakeholders and the scientific water community. This paper offers a skeleton worldview as a starting point for that dialogue by bringing together key issues as identified by water resource experts from different disciplines. Experiences from all over the world demonstrate the need for multistakeholder advocacy and the importance of compromise‐building mechanisms. Water law defines the rules of the game and provides a necessary framework for policy and its execution. However, there must be adequate social acceptance and active compliance, otherwise the formal rules and administrative regulation will not be perceived as legitimate and ultimately could prove ineffective. The challenge now is to create management systems where the formal decision‐makers interact with relevant members of the scientific community, users and other stakeholders for a coordinated approach that successfully orchestrates water uses towards internal compatibility. Integrated water resources management is essential for securing a proper overview of all the activities that depend on the same resource—the precipitation over the basin—and which are internally linked by the mobility of water from the water divide to the river mouth.     

推进海河流域水资源需求管理的探讨

水资源需求管理就是对水资源影响要素多维综合调控的管理过程,最终实现水资源供需平衡及可持续利用。通过系统分析海河流域在水资源管理中存在的主要问题,指出海河流域必须走严格的水资源需求管理之路。从水资源管理改革的角度出发,围绕流域水资源规划方法、配置和调度、节水型社会建设、水资源保护、流域机构管理、科技研究等方面,提出了推进海河流域水资源需水管理的措施。     

流域综合治理方案制定的基本理论及技术框架

针对我国流域综合治理方案制定过程中理论和技术框架缺失问题,从宏观、中观、微观尺度探索提出了流域综合治理方案制定的基础理论,即宏观的可持续发展理论、中观的流域“自然社会”二元水循环理论以及微观的“木桶理论”;构建了流域综合治理方案制定的基本原则,即流域统筹、单元控制、系统均衡;以流域面临的水问题为导向,系统构建了由机理分析、量化模拟、规划集成和方案确定4个关联耦合层次构成的流域综合治理方案制定技术框架;对流域综合治理方案制定主要层次的未来发展趋势进行了展望。     

Workshop 1 (synthesis): multipurpose stream management strategies.

For a meaningful dialogue on balancing water uses between stakeholders in a river basin, adequate information and proper understanding, knowledge and access to reliable data are essential for all parties. Technological and economic components in water resources management have limited significance without the social context, and the legal framework plays a key role in the dialogue between stakeholders at all levels. Other aspects that fit into strategic planning and management of water resources projects are risk assessment, ecosystem requirements, credibility and trust building.     

Decision Support for Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation in Water Resources Management

Climate change adaptation (CCA) has recently emerged as a new fundamental dimension to be considered in the planning and management of water resources. Because of the need to consider the already perceived changes in climate trends, variability and extremes, and their interactions with evolving social and ecological systems, water management is now facing new challenges. The research community is expected to contribute with innovative methods and tools to support to decision- and policy-makers. Decision Support Systems (DSSs), have a relatively long history in the water management sector. They are usually developed upon pre-existing hydrologic simulation models, providing interfaces for facilitated use beyond the limited group of model developers, and specific routines for decision making (e.g. optimization methods). In recent years, the traditional focus of DSS research has shifted away from the software component, towards the process of structuring problems and aiding decisions, thus including in particular robust methods for stakeholders’ participation. The paper analyses the scientific literature, identifies the main open issues, and proposes an innovative operational approach for the implementation of participatory planning and decision-making processes for CCA in the water domain.     

Voting Under Uncertainty: A Stochastic Framework for Analyzing Group Decision Making Problems

Water resources policy making often involves consideration of a broader scope of environmental, economic, and social issues. This inevitably complicates policy making since consensus among multiple stakeholders with different interests is needed to implement decisions. This work employs several practical and popular voting methods to solve a multi-stakeholder hydro-environmental management problem. Conventionally, voting methods or social choice rules have been applied for consensus development in small groups and elections. This work combines voting methods with a Monte-Carlo selection, in order to help with social choice making under uncertainty. This process is intended to aid decision-makers with understanding of the risks associated with potential decision alternatives. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta’s water export conflict is solved here as a benchmark problem to illustrate the proposed framework for social decision making and analysis under uncertainty.     

The Challenges of Inclusive Cross-Scale Collective Action in Watersheds

Abstract

Increasing attention to watershed management is part of an international policy trend toward integrated water resource management. Integration is multidimensional—across sectors, administrative regions, ministerial portfolios and levels of hydrologic structure and socioeconomic organization. Collective action is key. Individuals need to work effectively together to share common water points; upstream land users and downstream water consumers need to manage and resolve potential conflicts over water quantity and quality, while all the industries, farming communities, urban residents and public agencies that have interests in resource use and environmental quality need to agree on development and conservation objectives and approaches at the basin level. Initiatives that seek to foster collective action in watersheds need to account for the very different interests in water and watershed management. While there may be relatively straightforward ways to foster collective action at a local scale, some forms of collective action may, in fact, be detrimental to other stakeholders. In the developing world in particular, there are often geographic pockets and social groups that are chronically disadvantaged in collective and public processes. Water-users' associations and basin authorities may exacerbate these disparities and further marginalize already poor people. New statutory institutions may intentionally or inadvertently disempower effective customary local institutions. To enable project and program designers to address these challenges better, this paper lays out a framework for assessing the potential for, and implications of, individual and collective decisions in a watershed context. The framework integrates concepts drawn from the biophysical and social sciences, including new perspectives on watershed components, poverty, and collective action. Collective action is seen as a fractal process: collective action for water management at one level of social-spatial organization can have spillover effects at lower and higher levels of social-spatial resolution. To be pro-poor, watershed-management institutions must be genuinely inclusive, deliberately recognizing the interests, perspectives and knowledge of groups that may be systematically excluded from other political and social processes. Researchers, evaluators, watershed-management practitioners and others who apply the framework should be better placed to lay the foundations for that illusive goal: pro-poor, inclusive and resource-conserving development.