Experiences with IWRM in the Central Asia and Caucasus Regions

Abstract

The Soviet period of the command system left a legacy of under-funded multilevel bureaucratic structure of water administration and planning for the Central Asia and Caucasus countries. The existing administrative system of water management is unable to cope with inter-sector, dynamic, and versatile character of current water management problems. Therefore, the situation calls for principles of integrated water resources management (IWRM) in the region. This paper presents some ideas about institutional reforms in water sector started in Central Asia and Caucasus regions. It describes the key IWRM principles and how these principles are being implemented into practice.     

Application of Islamic Legal Principles for Advanced Water Management

Abstract

Saudi Arabia experienced extensive and rapid developments in all sectors during the last two decades with a rapid and vast increase in water demand. The country follows the sacred principles of the Muslim law “Shari'a,” where water is considered the common entitlement of all Muslims. In the last decades, however, the traditional methods for satisfying the limited water needs have been modified in accordance with Islamic laws to meet the rise in water demand and organize water management issues. Legislation and institutions, new water pricing policies, demand reduction techniques, and regulations for well drilling have been introduced. Support of cultivation of some crops has been modified to minimize irrigation water use, and modern irrigation techniques have been practiced to reduce water losses and demand. The Council of Muslim Leading Scholars has given pioneering examples of the flexibility of Islam by issuing a special Fatwa to regulate the reuse of treated effluents for different purposes. This has promoted wastewater recycling by the public. The Islamic principles used in Saudi Arabia have helped to improve water demand management, and the gained experience can benefit other countries.     

Towards Sustainable Management of Scarce Water Resources in Botswana

Abstract

Proper management of scarce water resources has in recent years become necessary to maintain sustainable societies. This article discusses the management of water resources in Botswana. It highlights the amount of water resources available, relating it to the demand, and observes that the current trend of exploiting these resources will not be sustainable in the long run unless the major strategies suggested herein are adopted. It also looks at the administration of water and water resources in Botswana, focusing on the shared water resources. Government policies and strategies towards sustainable management of scarce water resources are also discussed. The author draws particular attention to the water tariff structure, noting that the prevailing water tariff system promotes sustainable management of water resources.     

Community-based initiatives in the Dutch water domain: the challenge of double helix alignment

ABSTRACT

Community-based initiatives (CBIs) are emerging in many domains such as care, sustainable energy and water management. This paper examined three initiatives in Dutch water management, focusing on their relationship with water boards. CBIs present issues that water boards find difficult to respond to because of two reasons. First, CBIs are demarcated very differently from the formal tasks that water boards pursue. This calls for internal alignment within water boards to respond adequately. Second, CBIs necessitate external alignment with other water-managing governments. Water boards must therefore implement double helix alignment to relate productively to initiatives emerging in society.     

The evolution of water governance in France from the 1960s: disputes as major drivers for radical changes within a consensual framework

ABSTRACT

This paper provides a synthetic presentation of French water governance and its evolution since the 1960s. Through this French experience, it discusses the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) water governance cycle showing disputes as the main drivers of change. France has been a pioneer in introducing water river basin management some 50 years ago. It is also noted for its water services management by local authorities, leaving a significant role to private and public companies. But French water governance has not been frozen since the 1960s and continues to change radically within a framework based upon its unique history.     

Water Crisis

Abstract

Water crisis was not considered seriously at the Dublin and Rio conferences. It was put on the world agenda primarily by the Stockholm Water Symposia. Water management is likely to change more during the next twenty years compared to the past 2,000 years. The paper reviews the global water situtation based on the latest data available. In terms of water availability, it concludes that one can now be cautiously optimistic of the global water future. If there is to be a crisis, it is likely to be for two reasons: water quality and lack of investments. Neither of these two issues are receiving adquate attention at present. The roles IWRA can play in the future are briefly outlined.     

Virtual Water and the Kyoto Consensus

Abstract

The Editor of Water International published in the March 2003 issue a paper by Stephen Merrett containing a critique of the “virtual water” concept as well as replies by Tony Allan and Christopher Lant. This discussion paper is a rejoinder to Allan and Lant that also raises the stakes by considering the relation of “virtual water” to an emerging Kyoto consensus on water resources management.     

A Pilot Global Assessment of Environmental Water Requirements and Scarcity

Abstract

This paper presents a first attempt to estimate the volume of water required for the maintenance of freshwater-dependent ecosystems at the global scale. This total environmental water requirement consists of ecologically relevant low-flow and high-flow components and depends upon the objective of environmental water management. Both components are related to river flow variability and estimated by conceptual rules from discharge time series simulated by the global hydrology model. A water stress indicator is further defined, which shows what proportion of the utilizable water in world river basins is currently withdrawn for direct human use and where this use is in conflict with environmental water requirements. The paper presents an estimate of environmental water requirements for 128 major river basins and drainage regions of the world. It is shown that approximately 20 to 50 percent of the mean annual river flow in different basins needs to be allocated to freshwater-dependent ecosystems to maintain them in fair conditions. This is unlikely to be possible in many developing countries in Asia and North Africa, in parts of Australia, North America, and Europe, where current total direct water withdrawals (primarily for irrigation) already tap into the estimated environmental water requirements. Over 1.4 billion people currently live in river basins with high environmental water stress. This number will increase as water withdrawals grow and if environmental water allocations remain beyond the common practice in river basin management. This paper suggests that estimates of environmental water requirements should be the integral part of global water assessments and projections of global food production.     

Nitrate Pollution on the Island of Jersey

Abstract

This paper reviews the processes by which groundwater and surface water flows are polluted by nitrates on the Island of Jersey in the English Channel. It is shown that the primary cause of such pollution is the use of nitrate fertilizers by the Island's farmers. The activities of the major government institutions involved in reducing nitrate pollution are described and the costs of such management are assessed. The instruments deployed are regulatory, infrastructural, and educational; in contrast, economic instruments have not been deployed. The article then moves on to consider the benefits of pollution reduction in respect of enhanced environmental quality and improved human health. In conclusion, it is suggested that the standard for the nitrate content of drinking water, based on European Community legislation of 1980, was set at a level for which no human health benefits have been demonstrated but at substantial costs to the citizens of Jersey. This “cost without benefit” hypothesis is applicable to many other countries with respect to nitrate pollution management.     

Statistical Domestic Water Demand Model for the West Bank

Abstract

The water balance in the West Bank shows a severe deficit. Scenarios and strategies are formulated in order to overcome the deficit problem. These include options for better management of the existing water resources and the enhancement of new resources. This paper focuses on demand modeling as one of the key issues for effective water management. Although past literature about demand modeling is comparatively rich for different regions in the world, this research provides a unique study, due to the past political situation in the Middle East, for water demand modeling in the West Bank. The developed statistical domestic water demand model will assess the factors which influence domestic water use, and determine the parameters that may help in demand management. Rammallah City is used as a case study to illustrate the proposed framework of the analysis. The developed model indicates that water utility authorities can use price as a tool to ration water or encourage reduced water consumption in households.     

A Need to See Connections and Interactions

Abstract

This paper characterizes present challenges in water management worldwide and explores interdependencies between present technologies in water supply, sanitation, organic waste management, agriculture, and food production. The purpose of this discussion is to increase the sensitivity of readers to the connections between actions planned or already taken in different sectors that are usually only marginally considered by the scientific water community. A related purpose is to show how present problems may be turned into opportunities provided that actions in water management, sanitation provision, solid waste management, agriculture and food production are seen and approached as highly interdependent. An overriding premise of the discussions is that the scientific community of water scientists has a crucial role to play in future actions towards securing not only access to water and decent sanitation to everybody but also in global struggle to deliver enough food for a growing world population.     

The Yellow River: Managing the Unmanageable

Abstract

Hydrosolidarity in the Yellow River is a complex and difficult task, especially as this river has sediment problems that are unique in the world. The balancing of discharge needed for sediment management, relative to that needed for augmentation of water supply within and outside the basin, and for conservation of threatened ecosystems downstream presents a series of compromises that must rank as amongst the most challenging in basin-wide management of major world rivers. Until such time as south-to-north diversions are in place, the Yellow River is the only major water supply to the North China Plain, where water scarcity is now estimated to be some 40 km³ annually, representing 70 percent of the flow of the Yellow River. The hydrological management of Yellow River erosion involves three major factors: erosion and sediment transport, flooding, and river desiccation in the downstream reaches. This paper outlines several major development projects in the Yellow River basin that are attempting to achieve hydrosolidarity while, at the same time, providing needed water supplies to water-scarce parts of the basin.     

Water Mangement Intricacies in the Sultanate of Oman The Augmenation—Conservation Conundrum

Abstract

As with most arid regions, the gap between increasing demands for freshwater and the limited available natural resources has increased dramatically in the Sultanate of Oman. This is mainly due to the expansion in agricultural production and improvements in the standard of living with increasing demands per capita for good quality water. Major aquifers are affected from excessive pumping at rates, which have reached 190 percent of the safe yield in some areas. Several water management approaches have been introduced and implemented, including augmentation of resources and conservation of water. The overall annual water deficit has been estimated to be about 378 Mm³, nearly 50 percent of this being in the most agriculturally productive area of the country. This paper highlights the water shortages in Oman and the efforts exerted to resolve them. It also presents an economic assessment of costs and benefits that might provide a preliminary sound base for examining alternative methods of water augmentation and conservation. It is concluded that, even though conservation practices cost much less than augmentation, favoring one practice over the other is contingent on considerations other than mere costing. However, the general policy seems to favor augmentation rather than conservation. This policy must be reviewed through continuous assessment and feasibility studies     

The water footprint challenge for water resources management in Chilean arid zones

ABSTRACT

The water footprint concept is difficult to apply to water-shortage conditions because of private management and variability in the water balance. Chilean water law stipulates that water allocation depends on water rights and private organization criteria, according to the basin water supply and not necessarily crop irrigation demand, crop yield or irrigation technology. This paper explores the resultant complications.     

Water Resources Development in the SãTo Francisco River Basin (Brazil): Conflicts and Management Perspectives

Abstract

Water scarcity is matter of growing concern in Brazil, especially in the semi-arid, inland area of the Northeast, where the São Francisco River flows. This paper concentrates on the relations between the concrete experience of water resources development and the remaining demands for efficient water management in that river basin. The emphasis is on its Sub-Middle section, which since 1948 has been the preferential area for irrigation projects and hydropower generation. Recent modifications in the Brazilian legislation provide for a new approach to water resources policy, which is in favor of more decentralized and proactive forms of water management. In spite of such institutional evolution, conservative political groups in the SãTo Francisco River Basin have put obstacles before the transformation of established practices. In addition, there are other structural limitations contributing to hinder the adoption of a more comprehensive framework of water management. Resulting water conflicts have raised increasing demands for proper attention to the social, economic and environmental requirements of the sustainable management of water. The requisites for that go beyond the water question itself because they involve broader political and socio-economic controversies. At the local level, priority must be given to measures aimed at achieving water efficiency and conservation. It is fundamental to address the reduction of human vulnerability to climatic risks and to adopt alternatives of better utilization of water resources     

The Need and Requirements for Modernizing Surface Water Quality Monitoring in the Russian Federation

Abstract

Water quality monitoring in the Russian Federation faces political, technical, institutional, and financial problems. The current Russian model for gathering and production of water quality data is unreliable, out-of-date, and disconnected with current water management issues. While insufficient financing and ineffective legislation are the most obvious limitations, more importantly there is a need for a major overhaul of the program that would begin with a national framework for water quality management. This framework would provide for legal, institutional, and technical modernization of the program within a clearly-defined set of national goals for water quality management. The monitoring program in use in Russia is the legacy of the former USSR. The current growth of national priorities in terms of control and improvement of surface water quality is in contrast to the nation's decreasing ability to provide appropriate information within sustainable technical and institutional environments and that is affordable. This situation requires a new model based on the development of a flexible monitoring system focusing on water quality management. Ensuring financial stability of the monitoring system requires having a transparent and consistent program meeting the specific demands of water management. This, in turn, requires resource-saving methods and innovative relationships between agencies and with the private sector allowing cost reductions for the government.     

Integrated Water Resources Management and the Hydrosocial Balance

Abstract

During the last seven years, the author has developed a new analytic framework for the understanding of out-stream flows in any catchment or region. This is termed the area's “hydrosocial balance” because the flows from which it is constructed are hydrosocial rather than hydrological. Until now this meta-theory has been limited to flow quantities. The present paper extends the scope of the hydrosocial balance to issues of water qualities. The conjoint framework is then applied to a case-study of an island in the English Channel—Jersey—well known for its agricultural outputs, its financial services sector, and its tourist industry. The paper shows how general lessons for integrated water resources management can be drawn from the Jersey fieldwork: a world in a grain of sand.     

The Role of Collective Action in Water Governance: A Comparative Study of Groundwater User Associations in La Mancha Aquifers in Spain

Abstract

The paper analyzes the problem of collective water management in Spain. The paper has two main objectives: first it provides a brief introduction on long established traditions for collective water management under Water User Associations (WUAs), some dating back to the twelfth century. It discusses the legislative and institutional frameworks that have favored collective water management. The second objective is an analysis at a more specific level, by focusing on the particular case of groundwater as a traditional common pool resource and the problem of mutually beneficial collective action (MBCA). It does so by applying the Institutional Development Framework and an in depth analysis of key factors leading to MBCA. A comparative case study approach is applied to three main aquifers in the central Mancha region. It points to the importance that WUAS can play in facilitating factors that encourage collective action. It also highlights the relevance of social capital as trust between WUAs and the administration, like Water Authorities. It concludes that while solutions like subsidies and payments can help mitigate aquifer overuse, these are not a long-term or sustainable option (economically or sustainably). Only sound institutional design of Water User organizations can favor self-governance and management by farmers.     

Techno-institutional models for managing water quality in rural areas: case studies from Andhra Pradesh,India

Abstract

This article examines the rationale, technologies, economics and institutional modalities in water quality management operations to draw lessons for designing policies for sustainable service delivery at scale. While the rationale for providing potable drinking water at affordable prices is clear, their economic viability is weak given their present scale of operations. There is a need for institutional safeguards for selection of deserving villages and water quality monitoring. It is argued that public–private–community partnerships are economically viable and sustainable. Adopting appropriate technologies could help with addressing the water quality issues in a more comprehensive manner.     

Establishing a water law framework: The Colombia example

Abstract

This paper identifies basic elements to be considered in formulating a general water law. It presents these elements using a four‐part general framework: the hydrologic cycle, human uses, physical and ecological functions, and institutional arrangements. It applies this framework to the Republic of Colombia's water law, based on which recommendations for possible revisions are offered.