Women and WASH in Nepal: a scoping review of existing literature

ABSTRACT

The relationship between gender and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services is an issue for many developing states. This scoping review demonstrates that in Nepal, women bear the major social burden of inadequate WASH services and are under-represented in WASH-related policies and programmes. Four themes emerge: gender and water projects; lack of equal female participation in WASH policy development and implementation; women’s access to water; and menstruation and menstrual hygiene. Major cultural barriers embedded in Nepali society limit women’s access, agency and participation in WASH-related policy and practice.     

Reservoir Sedimentation in India—Its Causes,Control, and Future Course of Action

ABSTRACT

A survey of Indian reservoirs has shown that they receive on an average about 200 percent more sediment than the design inflow. The causes are the usual, except that they are operating very intensely. In brief ‘misuse and mismanagement’ of the catchment area will describe the causes of higher rates of sedimentation.

Fortunately India is very much aware of this problem and a lot is being done by identifying the priority areas for treatment and implementation of programmes to reduce soil erosion and sediment generation.

While techniques and efficacy of various biological and structural control measures are well known, it is the policy and planning aspects which need greater attention at present. Some of them are:

—It is important that policy and planning should aim at developing the catchment area, reservoir and command area as a package.

—In the developing world sediment is the greatest pollutant and it must be recognised and treated as such.

—A policy for effective water resource and hydropower development, watershed and command area development must take into account the short term and long term, direct and indirect, private and social benefits, and endeavour to involve the people and the employees in such a way that they feel committed to efficient and effective implementation.     

Progress beyond policy making? Assessing the performance of Dutch-German cross-border cooperation in Deltarhine

ABSTRACT

This longitudinal study assesses the performance of the Dutch-German cross-border water regime using a combination of performance indicators. The regime has, despite many efforts over five decades, rarely progressed beyond policy making and hardly contributed to actual problem-solving for issues such as water pollution or river restoration. Stakeholder satisfaction is nevertheless high, showing that combined performance indicators are needed to assess cross-border cooperation, and performance cannot simply be equated with problem-solving and goal attainment. Practical policy advice is provided to progress beyond policy making, focusing on policy design, network management and the adequacy of resources (financial, human, legal) for policy implementation.     

An Assessment of Climate Change,Water Resources,and Policy Research

ABSTRACT

A significant climate change can affect water resources and result in social and/or environmental impacts that can become policy issues. Review of the research in this emerging field of climate, water and policy reveals certain key issues that affect the transfer of information to policymakers. It also reveals the necessity for interdisciplinary analyses, a lack of information about parts of the hydrologic cycle, and the limited views many hydrologists have about climate changes and how to deal with them. The emphasis of recent research has been on effects on precipitation of CO, induced global warming on how climate changes might alter extreme events (droughts and floods), the relationship of climate alterations and water quality, and development of methods to better ascertain linkages of climate, water, and society. Policymakers attempting to address the effects of climate change on water resources generally ask six questions including: (1) the type of climate change apt to occur; 2) the changes beyond our recent (100-year) experience; 3) whether the changes can be predicted; 4) the certainty of change/s predicted; 5) the effects (social and environmental) that will occur; and (6) the potential adjustments needed.

Efforts to address adequately these questions are often hindered by four problem areas that need attention. First, climate impacts research is still in the developmental stage. Second, knowledge about certain hydrologic cycle variables is lacking and in particular, the interactions between climate and water quality. Third, many hydrologists assume stationarity in climate and find it difficult to accept and utilize climate change concepts. Finally, the impact of information on climate-water issues on the policy process is less than adequate often because scientists poorly understand the policy process.     

Implementing the EU Water Framework Directive: Experiences of Participatory Planning in the Ribble Basin,North West England

Abstract

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) is potentially the most significant piece of water management legislation to be developed by the European Union (EU) in the last forty years. Whilst water legislation is already regarded by many people as the ‘gold plating’ of EU environmental policy, many of the previous regulations and policies have focussed on specific point and non-point source water quality problems and have stipulated stringent standards to be achieved within specified time limits. In sharp contrast, the WFD aims to establish a planning and management framework for sustainable use of water and the ecological restoration of entire river systems, many of which do not fit neatly within the political or administrative boundaries of the Member States. Public participation in planning and management decisions is a key aspect of the WFD. This paper describes the specific requirements of the WFD for public participation and examines their implementation in the Ribble basin in North West England. The Ribble is part of a EU river basin network designed to test the WFD implementation guidelines issued by the European Commission. Particular challenges associated with engaging stakeholders in WFD implementation are highlighted and recommendations for future practice are offered.     

Professor Ven Te Chow's Contributions to Hawaii's Storm Drainage Standards

ABSTRACT

Mid- and long-term strategizing of irrigation development can improve coherence of a country's goals and policies and their actual implementation. It can also help identify the most desirable set of alternatives within economic, social and political objectives and constraints. Strategizing for these purposes should occur at national and provincial policy levels (macrostrategy), but the task should not be relegated exclusively to central planning entities. Concerned agency officials and user representatives responsible for field decisions should be engaged in a two-way continuing dialogue so that the plan is responsive to field realities and that implementation decisions by responsible field officials take into account national strategy considerations. Some of the principal macrostrategy variables including national development goals; policies relating to water rights, price fixing and subsidies, water charges and recurrent costs and special country considerations; the process of identifying and prioritizing investment alternatives; and some general strategy concepts are discussed briefly.     

Conjunctive Use of Surface and Underground Water in the Istra Peninsula,Yugoslavia

ABSTRACT

Based on an analysis of jive types of water issues in China, this article presents a picture of the present condition of water problems in China, which are worsening with social and economic development. From the viewpoint of water resources, four important concepts about water issues have been formulated and a policy for coordinating water issues and sustainable social and economic development has been proposed.     

Addressing the policy-implementation gaps in water services: the key role of meso-institutions

ABSTRACT

This paper reviews sources of misalignment between the institutional arrangements, incentives and resources mobilized in water policies. It is argued that the resulting policy gaps develop mainly at the implementation phase and are deeply connected to flaws in the ‘meso-institutions’ linking both the macro-level, at which general rules are established through laws and customs, and the micro-level, at which actors operate within the domain thus delineated. It is suggested that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Principles on Water Governance (2015) are primarily and rightly targeting these flaws. The discussion is substantiated with numerous examples, mainly from developing countries.     

A book conversation with the editors and a reviewer. Law and water governance: past,present, and future

Abstract

Water provides a societal link at the deepest sphere of interaction. It is no surprise that policy efforts are permanently challenged by barriers arising from the structure, both explicit and implicit, of our society. As a result, a wide gap opens up between what is planned and what is achieved. This paper aims to probe the Spanish water policy experience in the search for factors explaining why public goals are subject to considerable différance, a coined word (Derrida) which refers at once to the differing and the deferring of achievement. A list of indicators is provided to predict public and private deviance against water policy. Deviance is illustrated as the other side of Mediterranean solidarity. A taxonomy of deviance is attempted on the basis of examples drawn from recent developments in the Spanish water arena.     

Thirsty slums in African cities: household water insecurity in urban informal settlements of Lilongwe,Malawi

ABSTRACT

Over 70% of Malawi’s urban population lives in informal settlements, where households regularly face chronic water insecurity. This article utilizes mixed methods – household surveys (N = 645), field observations, focus groups and interviews – to examine household water insecurity in three urban informal settlements of Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital and largest city. The study finds that water insecurity arises from overdependence on communal water kiosks which are insufficient in number, have high nonfunctional rates, are prone to vandalism, and provide water irregularly; lack of alternative improved water sources; and a significant time burden due to long waiting times and multiple trips to water sources. The findings underscore why water insecurity in Africa’s urban informal settlements deserves urgent policy attention.     

Water use characteristics and impact factors in the Yellow River basin,China

ABSTRACT

This study focuses on the water use characteristics and impact factors in the Yellow River basin. Water use increased from 1980 to 2000 and then stabilized. Water use in the eight regions of the basin varies significantly in both time and space. Water use in different sectors is sensitive to variations in the irrigation area, industrial added value, efficiency, population and urbanization. Change trends are the results of the joint effects of supply-and-demand relationship and water policy. Water use is insensitive to precipitation, because irrigation mainly relies on river water and groundwater.     

Legislating for Adequate Public Participation in Allocating Water in Australia

Abstract

In the mid-1990s Australia embarked on a program of reforms including the introduction of private property rights in water, the allocation of water for the environment, and increased public participation where new initiatives are proposed. Many of the water allocation and management practices adopted in the country have originated from states in the Murray-Darling Basin. This article considers the different approaches taken in NSW, Queensland; and Victoria. In each of these states, public participation has been an evolving process, giving rise to difficulties of a slightly different nature. The article outlines the policy and theory behind public participation and sets out the legal provisions for its inclusion in water planning. It explores the main issues in the implementation of the legislation. The Australian experience suggests that policy makers and legislators did not initially draw upon the extensive research that was in existence on effective public participation. However, changes were made to make the processes more inclusive. Capacity building of participants, independent scientific support, and access to data were some of the most critical factors in effective public participation. Because the public had the opportunity to participate and influence decision making in water allocation, some potential legal conflict was avoided. Of the states examined, Queensland had the best legislative template for public participation although improvements could be made in many areas.     

Developing Countries

Abstract

The use of water for food production accounts for about 75 percent of the total withdrawal in developing countries and is crucial for sustenance. It is also important for addressing poverty and rural development. With developing countries endeavoring to enter the mainstream of development, a formidable challenge in water resources development, resource use efficiency and environmental conservation is faced by these countries, in which management of water for food will continue to remain prominent. A review of the current state of the sector in the developing countries is presented with a brief case study in India for realism. It is clear that although considerable development in the area has occurred, there are serious policy, engineering, environmental and management deficiencies. Approaches for modernisation of the sector are suggested in terms of quantum change in concepts, policies, planning approaches, institutions. and attitudes. Approaches for implementation are proposed     

Contradictions and Challenges in China's Water Policy Development

Abstract

External assessment of China's water problems, and recommendations for policy solutions, often fail to recognize interrelated physical, institutional, historical-cultural, and ideologically-grounded contradictions in the water sphere, distinctive to China, that challenge Chinese policy makers in unique ways. As new market-based approaches to flood and drought prevention and control, water quality maintenance, adequate water supply, and ecological support are being discussed and implemented, problems of overcoming deep-seated contradictions in the water economy compel searching review of policy assumptions and strategies which force reconsideration and modification of longstanding strategies and procedures for managing water resources. This paper considers the implications of water policy contradictions and challenges in four key areas: (1) coordination of economic measures and legal constraints associated with a 1988 Water Law; (2) a major 1999 policy shift from emphasis on strutural engineering solutions in shuili (water management) enterprise to a broader resource-defined concept of “resource” water management (ziyuanshuili) in support of water sustainability; (3) continuing reference to traditional historical/cultural and Marxist theoretical perspectives despite increasing adoption of Western market-based instruments in water policy development; and (4) problems of modifying and adapting indigenous water science and engineering in the process of building a new water economy. The paper concludes that bilateral and multilateral efforts to ameliorate China's water problems may be successful in achieving limited technical objectives in the several water sectors but face difficulties in contributing to China's long-term water sustainability and hazard mitigation because they are insensitive to internal contradictions that are being addressed with ever greater intensity and urgency in the quest for solutions.     

Managing water-related risks in the West Bengal Sundarbans: policy alternatives and institutions

Abstract

Persistent pressures from water-related threats – sea-level rise, soil and water salinization, and flooding due to embankment overtopping and failure – have made the West Bengal Sundarbans a challenging place to live, and effects of global climate change will only worsen conditions. Four alternative policy directions are examined: business as usual; intensive rural development; short-term out-migration of residents; and embankment realignment and facilitation of voluntary, permanent out-migration. The last of these is the recommended approach. Study findings have informed ongoing deliberations to build consensus on future policy directions for reducing the region’s vulnerability to natural disasters.     

Informal water markets and community management in peri-urban Luanda,Angola

ABSTRACT

The majority of Angola’s peri-urban population still rely on informal mechanisms for water supply. This water is expensive and of poor quality, representing a significant household expenditure for the urban poor. The article uses qualitative tools and tracking of the supply chain to analyze the scope of the informal water economy in Luanda. Marketing water at the local household level involves significant trading in social capital. A financially sustainable model of community water management that builds on this neighbourhood social capital has been adopted by the government for implementation across the country.     

Rules and Roles in Water Policy and Management

Abstract

Water policy and management are currently subject to a significant change. Water users and other stakeholders are gradually playing a much more active and also constructive role. This is no substitute for government efforts. Public sector activities and regulatory arrangements are of vital importance. Traditional functions and orientation of work need, however, to be modified, and new tasks are forcing themselves on to the national, municipal, and local agendas. Interaction between government, civil society organizations, and professionals must be based on a policy where water is made everybody's business and where the various components of management, i.e., development of the resource, provision, actual use, and disposal after use, are considered. With a policy where the relations between water, people, development, and the environment are duly recognised, it becomes imperative and natural that the rules for water management are defined that allow various stakeholders to contribute to achieve water security.     

A framework for understanding energy for water

Abstract

This article offers a framework for understanding how energy is used to meet water demand in countries. Specifically, the relationships between energy use and water scarcity, the location of renewable water resources, and aggregate water demand are explored. The article also examines how policy options such as water price reforms, agriculture subsidies and crop elimination may influence the energy use and energy intensity of water withdrawals. Conclusions suggest that while policy options exist, certain uncontrollable factors such as severe water scarcity or substantial freshwater abundance limit the ability of some countries to significantly improve the aggregate energy efficiency of water provision.     

Assessing emergency regulation technology in the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project,China

Abstract

The Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project is important for China. Any sudden water pollution accident along the route would threaten normal water supply. We studied four technologies (hydrodynamic and water quality simulation, source identification, emergency regulation, and evaluation of emergency measures) and developed and implemented a decision support system that provides technical support in managing pollution accidents. The achievements, which include four technologies and a system, have practical significance for emergency management in the Middle Route as they can help deal with accidents and policy formulation, and can be applied to other water transfer projects.