Integrated Water Resources Management

1 Integrated Water Resources ManagementGlobal Water PartnershipTechnical Advisory Committee (TAC)GWP Secretariat, Sida, SE - 105 25 Stockholm, Sweden. Office: Sveav gen 24-26, StockholmTelephone +46 (0)8 698 50 00 Telefax +46 (0)8 698 56 27E-mail Water PartnershipISBN: 91-630-9229-8 TAC BACKGROUND PAPERS NO. 4 Global Water Partnership(GWP), established in 1996, is an international network open to allorganisations involved in Water Resources Management : developed and developing countrygovernment institutions, agencies of the United Nations, bi- and multilateral development banks,professional associations, research institutions, non-governmental organisations, and the privatesector. GWP was created to foster Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), which aimsto ensure the co-ordinated development and Management of Water , land, and related resourcesby maximising economic and social welfare without compromising the sustainability of vitalenvironmental promotes IWRM by creating fora at global, regional, and national levels, designed to support stakeholders in the practical implementation of IWRM.

2 The Partnership s governanceincludes the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), a group of 12 internationally recognisedprofessionals and scientists skilled in the different aspects of Water Management . This committee,whose members come from different regions of the world, provides technical support andadvice to the other governance arms and to the Partnership as a whole. The TAC has beencharged with developing an analytical framework of the Water sector and proposing actions thatwill promote sustainable Water Resources Management . The TAC maintains an open channel withits mirror bodies, the GWP Regional Technical Advisory Committees (RTACs) around the worldto facilitate application of IWRM regionally and nationally. The Chairs of the RTACs participatein the work of adoption and application of IWRM requires changing the way business isconducted by the international Water Resources community, particularly the way investments aremade.

3 To effect changes of this nature and scope, new ways to address the global, regional, and conceptual aspects and agendas of implementing actions are series, published by the GWP Secretariat in Stockholm has been created to disseminate thepapers written and commissioned by the TAC to address the conceptual agenda. Issues and sub-issues with them, such as the understanding and definition of IWRM, Water for food security,public-private partnerships, and Water as an economic good have been addressed in paper is printed on swan-marked Nordic swan mark guides consumers to the most environmentally sound products. To acquire the swan symbol, producers must adhere to strict guidelines which are revised on an ongoing basis. This paper was produced according to these published papers in the TAC Background Papers Series: No 1: Regulation and Private participation in the Water and SanitationSector by Judith A.

4 Rees (1998) No 2: Water as a Social and Economic Good: how to Put the Principle intoPractice by Peter Rogers, Ramesh Bhatia and Annette Huber (1998) No 3: The Dublin Principles for Water as Reflected in a ComparativeAssessment of Institutional and Legal Arrangements for Integrated WaterResources Management by Miguel Solanes and Fernando Gonzales-Villarreal (1999) Integrated Water Resources Management Global Water Partnership SE - 105 25 Stockholm, SwedenAll rights in printing, March use of this publication may be made for resale orother commercial purposes without prior written permission of the Global Water Partnership/Sida. Portions of this text may be reproduced with the permission of and proper attribution to Global WaterPartnership/Sida. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed within this publication are entirely those of the author and should not be attributedin any manner to GWP/Sida, nor as official expressions of the Global Water Partnership Technical Advisory : 1403-5324 ISBN: 91-630-9229-8 Integrated Water Resources ManagementThe following members of TAC since its inception in 1996 are authors of this paper:Anil Agarwal, IndiaMarian S.

5 Delos Angeles, PhilippinesRamesh Bhatia, IndiaIvan Ch ret, FranceSonia Davila-Poblete, BoliviaMalin Falkenmark, SwedenFernando Gonzalez Villarreal, MexicoTorkil J nch-Clausen, Denmark (TAC Chair)Mohammed A t Kadi, MoroccoJanusz Kindler, PolandJudith Rees, United KingdomPaul Roberts, South AfricaPeter Rogers, USAM iguel Solanes, ArgentinaAlbert Wright, GhanaPublished by the Global Water PartnershipTAC BACKGROUND PAPERS NO. 4 Preface and acknowledgementAfter three years of operation beginning in 1996 the TechnicalAdvisory Committee (TAC) of Global Water Partnership (GWP) feltthere was a need for a clarification and formulation of certain prin-ciples and recommendations within Integrated Water resourcesmanagement serving a general purpose of contributing to the imple-mentation of IWRM, but also an internal purpose of establishing acommon understanding within GWP and TAC.

6 The present paperrepresents the corporate view of TAC on Integrated Water resourcesmanagement and has been authored by all members of TAC in theperiod 1996 through paper is the sole responsibility of TAC, but it has been developedin a joint process involving TAC members, Regional TAC Chairs,professional TAC-support staff at DHI Water and Environment andGWP Secretariat staff. Based on TAC s deliberations on the subject overits course of time, Mr. Henrik Larsen, DHI Water and Environment,provided a first draft and has functioned as the chief editor of thepaper. The contribution of all who participated in this process is grate-fully Introduction6 Part I: WHAT IS IWRM?82. The overall problem93. The main challenges104. IWRM principles13 Principle I: Water as a finite and vulnerable resource14 Principle II: Participatory approach15 Principle III: The important role of women17 Principle IV: Water as an economic good185.

7 Definition of IWRM22 Integration in IWRM23 Natural system integration24 Human system integration26 Part II: HOW TO IMPLEMENT IWRM326. The enabling environment33 The role of government33 Water legislation36 The cross-sectoral and upstream-downstream dialogue38 Financing structures and investment allocations for Water Resources infrastructure39Co-operation within international river basins427. The institutional roles44 Roles and functions of organizations at different levels45 Institutional capacity building508. Management instruments51 Water Resources assessment: availability and demand51 Communication and information systems54 Water allocation and conflict resolution56 Regulatory instruments58 Direct controls58 Economic instruments61 Encouraged self-regulation65 Technology66 List of abbreviations67 CONTENTS hallenges require IWRM;Challenges faced by more andmore countries in their struggle for economic and socialdevelopment are increasingly related to Water .

8 Water short-ages, quality deterioration and flood impacts are among the problemswhich require greater attention and action. Integrated Water ResourcesManagement (IWRM) is a process which can assist countries in theirendeavour to deal with Water issues in a cost-effective and sustainableway. The concept of IWRM has attracted particular attention followingthe international conferences on Water and environmental issues inDublin and Rio de Janeiro held during 1992; howeverIWRM hasneither been unambiguously defined nor has the question of how it isto be implemented been fully addressed. What has to be integratedand how is it best done? Can the agreed broad principles for IWRM beoperationalized in practice and, if so, how?Common understanding of IWRM;Global Water Partnership (GWP)has committed itself to strive to facilitate the sustainable managementof Water Resources by fostering information exchange and helping tomatch needs for solutions to Water problems with available tools,assistance and Resources .

9 In order to be able to work together towardsa common objective, there is a clear need for a common understandingamong those involved of what is meant by IWRM. Hence, the purposeof this paper is to clarify internally within GWP, and among ourpartners, how the GWP Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) inter-prets the IWRM concept and process. In so doing, TAC is building onthe principles to which all governments have agreed at the Dublin andRio conferences and which have subsequently been elaborated in theUN Commission on Sustainable Development process and other universal blueprint;Whereas certain basic principles underlyingIWRM may be commonly applicable, independent of context and stageof economic or social development, there is no universal blueprint asto how such principles can be put into practice. The nature, characterand intensity of Water problems, human Resources , institutionalGLOBAL Water PARTNERSHIPI ntegrated Water Resources Management61.

10 INTRODUCTIONC capacities, the relative strengths and characteristics of the public andprivate sectors, the cultural setting, natural conditions and many otherfactors differ greatly between countries and regions. Practical imple-mentation of approaches derived from common principles must reflectsuch variations in local conditions and thus will necessarily take avariety of group;The intended audiences for this paper are professionalsand decision-makers, who are already acquainted with Water resourcesmanagement. Therefore, the paper assumes some familiarity withfundamental concepts and issues within Water Resources is no intention to provide a textbook or an all-comprehensivedocument but rather a focused statement giving the corporate view ofGWP TAC and placing an emphasis on those issues most fundamentalto IWRM ;The paper has been divided into two main parts.