scholarly journals Unpacking water conflicts: a reinterpretation of coordination problems in China’s water-governance system

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 553-569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond Yu Wang ◽  
Cho Nam Ng ◽  
James Hans Lenzer ◽  
Heping Dang ◽  
Tao Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Governance ◽  
Water Conflicts ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Coordination Problems

scholarly journals Strengths and Weaknesses of the Dutch Implementation of the Water Framework Directive

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 269-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Squintani ◽  
Ernst Plambeck ◽  
Marleen van Rijswick
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Functional Approach ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Member States ◽  
Potential Source ◽  
History Of ◽  
Dutch Experience ◽  
Regional Water

The Netherlands has a long and fascinating history of water management. The main features of the Dutch water governance system for the implementation of the wfd are its regional water authorities based on hydrological scales and powers to regulate, decide and raise taxes for their water tasks. Their functional approach and the decentralised character make the regional water authorities very efficient and effective. It is therefore understandable that eu institutions and other Member States consider the Dutch system an interesting potential source of inspiration for other jurisdictions. Yet, it is not all gold what shines. This paper highlights the strength and weakness elements of the Dutch water governance system under the wfd. It exposes several points of concern. When considering using the Dutch experience as a source of inspiration in other Member States, these concerns should be taken in due account.

scholarly journals Water Governance and Water Management Systems in the Tekeze River Basin

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 439-449
Author(s):  
Getahun Antigegn Kumie
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Fresh Water ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Difficult Situation ◽  
Bilateral Agreements ◽  
Water Supply Management ◽  
Facility Maintenance

The fact that a lot of fresh water resources in Ethiopia are shared between several sovereign states creates a difficult situation in terms of water governance and management. Since there is no central agency that can regulate the utilization of water, the autonomous riparian actors pursue their respective interests. Water is shared at local, national and international levels; and difficulty in water supply management arises from lack of coordination between local, national and international authorities. Most of the Ethiopian rivers are trans-boundary, i.e. shared by several sovereign states. The purpose of this paper is to examine water governance and management systems in the Tekeze River basin. The author uses the qualitative research method to critically examine the existing scarce literature sources and governmental policy documents. The findings of the study revealed the absence of any kinds of bilateral agreements among the riparian states of the Tekeze River basin. As the water governance system in the region is highly politicized, there exists a certain clash of interests between the Tekeze River nations. The constant conflict in the region disrupts cooperation needed for facility maintenance in the Tekeze River basin. The problems in the area arise due to the following factors: no demarcated boundaries between the basin states; no effective water governance system, and, as a result, no efficient and cooperative utilization of fresh water resources; lack of institutional and legal arrangements between the major riparian states.

Governance and climate variability in Chinchiná River, Colombia

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 632-653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Cristina Acevedo ◽  
Sandra Turbay ◽  
Margot Hurlbert ◽  
Martha Helena Barco ◽  
Kelly Johanna Lopez
Keyword(s):  
Climate Variability ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Climate Extremes ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Agricultural Producers ◽  
Institutional Governance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Governance Institutions

Purpose This paper aims to assess whether governance processes that are taking place in the Chinchiná River basin, a coffee culture region in the Andean region of Colombia, are adaptive to climate variability and climate extremes. Design/methodology/approach A mixed research method was used by reviewing secondary research sources surrounding the institutional governance system of water governance and disaster response and semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with producers and members of organizations within the institutional governance system. Findings This study found that there is a low response to extreme events. Hopefully, the growing national awareness and activity in relation to climate change and disaster will improve response and be downscaled into these communities in the future. Although, some learning has occurred at the national government level and by agricultural producers who are adapting practices, to date no government institution has facilitated social learning taking into account conflict, power and tactics of domination. Originality/value This paper improves the understanding of the vulnerability of rural agricultural communities to shifts in climate variability. It also points out the importance of governance institutions in enhancing agricultural producer adaptive capacity.

scholarly journals Syrian Refugees, Water Scarcity, and Dynamic Policies: How Do the New Refugee Discourses Impact Water Governance Debates in Lebanon and Jordan?

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hussam Hussein ◽  
Alberto Natta ◽  
Abed Al Kareem Yehya ◽  
Baha Hamadna
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Development Projects ◽  
Water Crisis ◽  
Syrian Refugees ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Syrian Crisis ◽  
Humanitarian Interventions ◽  
The Impact

Since the Syrian crisis and the so-called “Arab Spring”, new discourses have been created, sparking the discursive water governance debates around water scarcity and hydropolitics. In Lebanon and Jordan—where most water resources are transboundary, and where most Syrian refugees have flown in—new discourses of climate change and especially of Syrian refugees as exacerbating water scarcity are emerging, shaping water governance debates. The aim of this paper is to engage in comparative discourse analysis about narratives of water crises and refugees in Lebanon and Jordan. This study is novel because of the focus on the new discourse of refugees in relation to water governance debates in both Lebanon and Jordan. This paper finds that in both countries the new discourses of refugees do not replace previous and existing discourses of water crisis and scarcity, but rather they build on and reinforce them. This paper finds that the impact these discourses had on the governance debates is that in Lebanon the resources mobilized focused on humanitarian interventions, while Jordan focused on development projects to strengthen the resilience of its water infrastructure and its overall water governance system.

scholarly journals Knowledge Co-Production and Transdisciplinarity: Opening Pandora’s Box

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcela Brugnach ◽  
Gül Özerol
Keyword(s):  
Water Governance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Water Research ◽  
Political Implications ◽  
Significant Step ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Thought Styles

This Special Issue aims to reflect on knowledge co-production and transdisciplinarity, exploring the mutual interaction between water governance and water research. We do so with contributions that bring examples from diverse parts of the world: Bolivia, Canada, Germany, Ghana, Namibia, the Netherlands, Palestine, and South Africa. Key insights brought by these contributions include the importance of engaging the actors from early stages of transdisciplinary research, and the need for an in-depth understanding of the diverse needs, competences, and power of actors and the water governance system in which knowledge co-production takes place. Further, several future research directions are identified, such as the examination of knowledge backgrounds according to the individual and collective thought styles of different actors. Together, the eight papers included in this Special Issue constitute a significant step toward a better understanding of knowledge co-production and transdisciplinarity, with a common thread for being reflective and clear about their complexity, and the political implications and risks they pose for inclusive, plural and just water research and governance.

scholarly journals Before and After the Weser Case: Legal Application of the Water Framework Directive Environmental Objectives in Sweden

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Söderasp ◽  
Maria Pettersson
Keyword(s):  
Water Framework Directive ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Court Cases ◽  
Eu Law ◽  
Governance System ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Judicial Implementation ◽  
High Level

Abstract The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) prescribes environmental objectives and an adaptive water governance system. This article analyses the Swedish implementation of the WFD through a review of high-profile Swedish court cases regarding the application of the WFD environmental objectives in individual authorisation processes for water operations. The selection of court cases represents both the time before and after the Court of Justice of the European Union’s Weser case in 2015. The results indicate an inertial tendency in the legal application of the WFD environmental objectives in Swedish courts, including a reluctance to fully apply EU law as interpreted by the CJEU. The overall conclusion is that traditional legal certainty aspects often trump flexibility and a high level of environmental protection as desired in the adaptive water governance system of the WFD. This raises questions about judicial preconceptions and the procedural autonomy of the Member States vis-à-vis the ‘effet utile’ of EU law through judicial implementation.

scholarly journals Public Participation of the River Chief System in China: Current Trends, Problems, and Perspectives

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3496
Author(s):  
Chenhui Wu ◽  
Maosen Ju ◽  
Longfei Wang ◽  
Xiangyi Gu ◽  
Cuiling Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Public Participation ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Effective Measure ◽  
Term Operation ◽  
The Public ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Water Problems

The River Chief System (RCS) is an effective measure for China to solve complex water problems and maintain the health of rivers and lakes. It is an institutional innovation to improve the water governance system and ensure national water security. Guiding and encouraging the public to participate in the construction of the RCS can promote the improvement of the level of social governance. The RCS is an effective supplement and supervision to the performance of the river chief and related departments, which can effectively promote the transformation of the RCS from nominal to practical and efficient. This study summarizes the innovative models and practical effects of, and public participation in, the RCS, analyzes the prominent problems, and proposes some measures to maximize the influence of public participation. The study provides insights on how to ensure the long-term operation of the RCS, a reference for countries around the world as a suitable solution for the sustainable management of water environments.

scholarly journals Brief communication: Rethinking the 1998 China flood to prepare for a nonstationary future

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiqiang Du ◽  
Xiaotao Cheng ◽  
Qingxu Huang ◽  
Ruishan Chen ◽  
Philip Ward ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
Growing Economy ◽  
Management Approaches ◽  
Coordinated Water

Abstract. A mega-flood in 1998 caused tremendous losses in China, and triggered large investments in flood risk management (Bryan et al., 2018). However, rapid urbanization and climate change pose new challenges and it is time to rethink whether China is prepared for the next mega-flood. In China’s fast growing economy, with rapid urbanization, novel flood risk management approaches are required in addition to reinforcing structural protection, such as levees. These include a risk-based urban planning and a coordinated water governance system with public participation.

scholarly journals Addressing Urban–Rural Water Conflicts in Nagpur through Benefit Sharing

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 2979
Author(s):  
Vibhas Sukhwani ◽  
Kamakshi Thapa ◽  
Rajib Shaw ◽  
Sameer Deshkar ◽  
Bijon Kumer Mitra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Central India ◽  
Benefit Sharing ◽  
Water Conflicts ◽  
Water Demands ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
Multi Stakeholder

Urban and rural areas often meet their water demands from a shared stock of finite water resources. Against the changing climate, the rising water demands in fast-growing urban areas are leading to increasing water-use conflicts with the co-dependent rural areas. Although poor water governance is frequently cited as the key reason for such urban–rural conflicts, it is also recognized as a potential pathway to resolve them. In the case of Nagpur Region in Central India, water stress has today become a subject of serious concern. The water demands in Nagpur City are primarily met through the multipurpose Pench Dam on priority, but the recently declining water availability has raised undue concerns for irrigation in the Pench command areas. To substantiate the limited understanding of ongoing water conflicts in the wider Nagpur Metropolitan Area, this study analyzes a specific set of secondary data related to the history of the Pench Project and its water utilization trends. By uncovering the periodic decline in irrigated area and the increasing groundwater use for irrigation, the cross-sectoral and transboundary implications of increasing water transfer to Nagpur City are revealed. To address these concerns, this study then suggests feasible governance strategies based on benefit sharing and multi-stakeholder engagement.

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