Characterizing local water governance structure in the Philippines: results of the water managers’ 2013 survey

This paper provides an empirical basis for local water-governance reforms in the Philippines using primary data from 299 water managers representing water districts, community-based water organizations, irrigators’ associations and local government water providers. Survey results showed that local water organizations are subject to various forms of laws and regulations; there are no set bases for water price determination; and water administration set-up varies from the formal to the loosely informal structures. Recommendations are offered towards responsive local water governance arrangements.     

Non-water factors in water governance and their implications for water sustainability: The case of Ontario’s water use reduction policy

Despite longstanding interest in reducing water use in Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, public policy responses have tended to be restricted to the water sector’s traditional remit, e.g., improving public access to water data. However, it is not clear that these type of measures will be enough to address concerns over water quantity and advance water sustainability, as they are tied to other socio-economic concerns, external to the water sector. The purpose of this study is to understand the range of external factors that influenced the development and implementation of the water use reduction (WUR) policy in Ontario, and to identify opportunities for harnessing these factors to advance WUR objectives. To do so, we propose a diagnostic framework that maps external factors in relation to a specific water governance situation. We carried out 13 semi-structured interviews and reviewed 56 documents. We combined deductive and inductive approaches to content analysis. We found many non-water factors influencing the governance of WUR in Ontario. Particularly, the economic development provincial objective strongly shaped Ontario’s WUR policy by influencing the adoption of a demand management approach centering on water efficiency, rather than conservation. Furthermore, the WUR policy primarily serves the economic development objective. An implication is that water policies can be used instrumentally, raising the question of what constitutes a “water policy”. In summary, this study argues that non-water factors can thus influence our path to water sustainability, in this case represented by the water conservation approach, by defining an enabling (or hindering), institutional framework.     

Criteria for assessing the level of land–water integration in planning instruments in Andalusia,Spain

Academia has come to realize that integrating water management and land resources can deliver a significant contribution to achieving sustainable outcomes. However, its implementation in daily practice is lagging behind. In order to address this knowledge–practice gap, this paper suggests the integration of land and water resources management can be improved through the incorporation of specific criteria in the territorial plans and river basin management plans. The proposed criteria were used to develop a methodology to assess the level of integration between water resources and land uses in current planning practice. The case of Andalusia in Spain provided the empirical focus.     

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     

Two decades of Brazil’s participatory model for water resources management: from enthusiasm to frustration

In January 2017, the water community in Brazil celebrated the 20th anniversary of the promulgation of Brazil’s National Water Resources Policy (Federal Law 9.433). However, Brazil’s participatory model has not delivered the expected policy outcomes yet. Inclusiveness in decision making has become pointless since mechanisms of social control and accountability are almost nonexistent. Despite the widely celebrated opportunities for stakeholder engagement and decentralized water management, implementation of water policies remains largely dependent on state actors. These findings indicate the need for carefully planned and evidence-based water reforms in Brazil.     

Complicating neoliberalization and decentralization: the non-linear experience of Colombian water supply, 1909–2012

This article presents key elements in the evolution of water supply regulation in Colombia over the twentieth century. This is novel in that it contradicts widely accepted and seemingly universal trends in water supply development. By putting apparently recent phenomena into a longer historical trajectory, we are able to nuance the idea of a unidirectional transition from centralized to decentralized governance, as well as the evolution of policies associated with neoliberalization. We find that regulatory development began at the municipal scale in the 1920s, only to be centralized mid-century. By the same token, policies typically associated with neoliberalization – such as corporatization, full cost recovery, and volumetric metering – began in the 1910s and 1920s and not under neoliberalism in the 1980s. The work is based on a database compiled by the authors. The database comprises municipal, departmental and state regulatory interventions from 1909 to 2012.     

Water depth and lake-wide water level fluctuation influence on α- and β-diversity of coastal wetland fish communities

Coastal wetlands in the Laurentian Great Lakes are critical habitats for supporting fish diversity and abundance within the basin. Insight into the coupling of biodiversity patterns with habitat conditions may elucidate mechanisms shaping diverse communities. Within coastal wetlands, water depth as well as fluctuations in lake-wide water levels over inter-annual timescales, both have the potential to influence fish communities. Water level fluctuation can influence fish habitat structure (e.g., vegetation) in Great Lakes coastal wetlands, but it is unclear how water depth and lake-wide water level fluctuations affect fish community composition and diversity. Using β dissimilarity indices and multivariate ordination techniques, we assessed fish community structure among bulrush (Schoenoplectus acutus)-dominated wetlands in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, USA. We examined whether community structure was related to wetland water depth at the time of sampling and whether fish communities were more similar among years with similar Lake Huron water levels. Results suggested relatively high levels of both spatial (among wetlands) and temporal (among year) community dissimilarity that was driven primarily by species turnover. Thus, variability in water depths among wetlands and in Lake Huron water levels among years likely both contribute to regional fish diversity. Further, fish abundance and alpha diversity were positively correlated with wetland water depth at the time of sampling. Both climate change and anthropogenic water level stabilization may alter the magnitude and timing of water level fluctuations in the Great Lakes. Our data suggest that these changes could affect local fish community composition and regional fish diversity.     

Telecoupling in urban water systems: an examination of Beijing’s imported water supply

Urban centres increasingly have difficulties meeting water needs within their hydrologic basins. To sustain urban water supply, cities and water source regions have increased telecouplings (socio-economic and environmental interactions over distances). To analyse these complex interactions, we apply the new telecoupling framework to the water-stressed megacity of Beijing’s imported water supply. We found that Beijing’s remote water sources have lower risk than local supply, but connections impact the sending systems. The telecoupling framework provides a standard, systematic and flexible tool for evaluating the sustainability of urban water supply. It also identifies a number of research gaps for future quantification efforts.     

Estimating the Aquifer’s Renewable Water to Mitigate the Challenges of Upcoming Megadrought Events

Water Resources Management - In arid and semi-arid regions of the world, the occurrence of prolonged drought events (megadroughts) associated with climate change can seriously affect the balance...     

The Compensation Mechanism and Water Quality Impacts of Agriculture-Urban Water Transfers: A Case Study in China’s Chaobai Watershed

Water transfer from agriculture to urban uses will likely become increasingly common worldwide. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of converting paddy rice to dry land crops (PPRDC) on local farmers’ income in China’s Chaobai watershed and to analyze the responses of surface water quality to the change in cropping system. An on-site investigation of 485 households and water quality data from 1999 to 2008 are presented in this study. The cost of cultivation as a percentage of the total revenue was 22.3 % for rice and 30.1 % for corn, and the calculated compensation level (CCOM) should be 6172.3 Yuan?ha^?1. PPRDC provided farms with stable income without regard to drought and flood: thus, farmers responded positively to PPRDC, and 76.7 % of farmers expected to continue PPRDC. Inflow water quality was improved in terms of total nitrogen (TN) and nitrate (NO₃–N) because of the reduction in fertilizer and pesticides after PPRDC, but there was no significant change in total phosphorus (TP). PPRDC not only reallocates water resource to different users but also improves water quality through crop adjustment. A dynamic compensation mechanism based on changing crop price is required for the future water transfer project.     

Desalination and water security in the US–Mexico border region: assessing the social,environmental and political impacts

In the western US–Mexico border region, both countries’ authorities look to desalination as a means to meet increased demands for dwindling supplies. In addition to several existing or planned desalination plants, plans exist to develop projects along Mexico’s coasts to convert seawater into freshwater primarily for conveyance and consumption in the United States. Even though desalination systems have the potential to increase water supply in the region, there are associated consequences, costs and constraints. To understand the impacts of such binational desalination systems, this paper assesses, through a water-security framework, the case of a proposed desalination plant on the Upper Gulf of California. The analysis suggests that for binational desalination systems, there are several key areas of impact against which the benefits of increased water supply must be weighed.     

Unsafe water,sanitation and hygiene in Nigeria’s public spaces: the political economy angle

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) services in public spaces are examined from the political economy perspective in Nigeria. Through field observations and interviews, the study observed that WaSH practices at public spaces are less than optimal on account of poor or outright absence of necessary WaSH infrastructure and weak or non-existent regulation and enforcement of necessary standards, among other challenges. Socio-economic factors related to the category of users and the proprietary interests of specific spaces largely accounted for WaSH services inequality. It is argued that the failure of the state to guarantee functional WaSH infrastructure and enforce standard practices opens space for differentiated practices and standards consistent with specific interests.     

The interplay of activists and dam developers: the case of Myanmar’s mega-dams

Scholars investigating activism against large dam developments in Asia usually focus on those campaigning, but not on those the campaigns are aimed at – the dam developers. Yet the developers’ perspective is crucial to comprehensively understand the dynamics of social and environmental activism in South-East Asia as well as its implications for the region’s energy landscape. This article analyzes the interplay of activists and Chinese dam developers in Myanmar via case studies of the Myitsone Dam and the Mong Ton Dam. The research is based on direct scholarly interaction with both activists and dam developers. It presents evidence of change from both sides: activists have professionalized in recent years; and Chinese dam developers now attempt to engage with civil society, albeit with limited success in the two cases studied. Yet, even with these changes, conflict over dam development persists, and the country may soon face severe limitations on development options for improving energy security. The case of Bhutan is also discussed to illustrate the potential of developing Myanmar’s hydropower resources.     

Interbasin water transfers at the US–Mexico border city of Nogales,Sonora: implications for aquifers and water security

Nogales, Sonora, on the US–Mexico border, employs interbasin water and wastewater transfers to address water scarcity in the context of a rising population, a warming climate, and cross-border institutional asymmetries. A unique feature of its geography and border context is Nogales's export of wastewater both north to the US and, starting with the August 2012 commissioning of a strategically positioned wastewater treatment plant, south to the Alisos basin, which is its principal drinking-water source. Thus, when the new plant is fully operational, it will result in indirect potable reuse of effluent via recharge of the source-water aquifer. This paper finds that such strategies contribute to increased water scarcity in Nogales, and to detrimental health, livelihood and environmental impacts in the source basin, thus raising questions about interbasin transfers as a principal water management strategy.     

Shipping water across the US–Mexico border: international governance dimensions of desalination for export

New public–private desalination projects along the Mexico–United States boundary have the potential to strengthen water security in this arid region. International bulk water commerce in this region is unprecedented and constrained by existing international agreements and regulations. This problem is examined from a multilevel governance perspective, focusing on two desalination projects with near-term export potential in Rosarito, Baja California, and Puerto Peñasco, Sonora. These projects add to the array of agencies and procedures in binational water management but will not displace the International Boundary and Water Commission, which is sure to have a role in managing such projects.     

Citizens’ Perceptions on Water Conservation Policies and the Role of Social Capital

Planning and implementing environmental policies for the sustainable management of water resources is a challenging task. In order to improve the effectiveness of these policies it is essential to explore their social implications. The present article aims to investigate environmental policies focusing on domestic water conservation and their interconnection with social capital elements. In particular, by means of an empirical study conducted in an insular community of Greece, citizens’ perceptions are explored concerning the restrictions imposed from different environmental policy instruments for water consumption and their perceived level of effectiveness. Furthermore, the influence of social capital parameters on these perceptions is investigated. Aggregated indicators of social capital are estimated with Confirmatory Factor Analysis measuring social and institutional trust, participation in social networks and compliance with social norms. Through the results of ordinal regression models it is evident that significant connections exist between elements of social capital and perceptions of citizens towards water consumption policies.     

Evaluation of the Bankruptcy Approach for Water Resources Allocation Conflict Resolution at Basin Scale,Iran’s Lake Urmia Experience

Water conflicts appear when there are insufficient and less available water resources than water demands claimed by different agents. In this study, a new bankruptcy approach is investigated to resolve water conflicts in the Zarrinehroud River Basin, the largest and most important sub-basin of Lake Urmia’s Basin in the northwest of Iran. The new bankruptcy method is compared with the proportional rule (PRO) and another alternative based on the cessation of irrigated agriculture in the region proposed to supply and save environmentally in danger Lake Urmia. Four scenarios consisting of the current situation, optimistic, average and pessimistic scenarios regarding the future of water resources of the basin and agricultural developments were considered. According to the results, both bankruptcy rules helped Lake Urmia to receive more water, but neither could utterly overcome the water shortage of the Lake, so can be used as supplementary actions alongside other solutions. The cessation of irrigated agriculture throughout the basin overcame the average annual shortage of Lake Urmia in the first and second scenarios equal to 137 and 148 million cubic meters respectively. It showed disability to fully supply the lake in the third and fourth scenarios. These three methods must be combined with a social-economic policy like the purchase of decreased water allocations to farmers to be socially acceptable.