Dilemmas of integrated water resources management implementation in the Awash River Basin, Ethiopia: irrigation development versus environmental flows

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adey Nigatu Mersha ◽  
Charlotte Fraiture ◽  
Ilyas Masih ◽  
Tena Alamirew
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Environmental Flows ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
Irrigation Development ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Awash River Basin

scholarly journals IWRM as a System Approach to Water Security: Evidence from the Awash River Basin of Ethiopia

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reta Hailu ◽  
Degefa Tolossa ◽  
Getnet Alemu
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
System Approach ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
System Thinking ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Awash River Basin

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is one of the system thinking approaches emerged in the 1990s. Since then it has been applied in various countries and contexts. However, the implementation of the IWRM is contested. There are paucity of literature and guidelines as to how the concept can be operationalized. In Ethiopia, there is no evidence that IWRM is successfully instituted. Particularly, IWRM has never been implemented in the Awash River Basin. The study generated data from household and institutional surveys, in-depth interviews, focused group discussions, workshops, and secondary sources. Multiple sources of data were triangulated and thematically summarized. We found that pragmatic water resources management through system approach helps to recognize river basin as a bigger system in which the natural and human systems function. This resolves the problem of fragmentations among among various actors, sectors, interest and priorities. That it facilitates the coordination of various subsystems. The operationalization of IWRM as a system to secure water resources require the establishment and/or strengthening of the interactions of various systems, subsystems, and the elements within the entire basin system. Finally, enabling institutional environments should be considered as a medium of realizing IWRM.

Integrated water resources management in the Ruhr River Basin, Germany

2003 ◽  
Vol 47 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 81-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Bode ◽  
P. Evers ◽  
D.R. Albrecht
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
Rhine River ◽  
Wastewater Disposal ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
The People

The Ruhr, with an average flow of 80.5 m3/s at its mouth, is a comparatively small tributary to the Rhine River that has to perform an important task: to secure the water supply of more than 5 million people and of the industry in the densely populated region north of the river. The complex water management system and network applied by the Ruhrverband in the natural Ruhr River Basin has been developed step by step, over decades since 1913. And from the beginning, its major goal has been to achieve optimal conditions for the people living in the region. For this purpose, a functional water supply and wastewater disposal infrastructure has been built up. The development of these structures required and still requires multi-dimensional planning and performance. Since the river serves as receiving water and at the same time as a source of drinking water, the above-standard efforts of Ruhrverband for cleaner water also help to conserve nature and wildlife. Ruhrverband has summed up its environmental awareness in the slogan: “For the people and for the environment”. This basic water philosophy, successfully applied to the Ruhr for more than 80 years, will be continued in accordance with the new European Water Framework Directive, enacted in 2000, which demands integrated water resources management in natural river basins, by including the good ecological status of surface waterbodies as an additional goal.

Assessing integrated water resources management in Nigeria: insights and lessons from irrigation projects in the Cross River Basin

Water Policy ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel M. Akpabio
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
Cross River ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Irrigation Projects ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Cross River Basin

This paper examines the practice of integrated water resources management (IWRM) in the Cross River Basin, Nigeria. Specific case studies have been made of the irrigation projects of the Cross River Basin Development Authority (CRBDA) to generate issues and examine implications on the concept of IWRM. A wide range of study methods, including semi-structured interviews, case studies of irrigation projects, personal correspondence, field visits, observation and secondary data was used in the research. In the results, it was observed that the CRBDA irrigation projects are highly under-utilised. The authority has acquired many hectares of land but has developed only 3.4%.There were a number of factors that explained this. These ranged from poor user interests and financing, fragmented and inconsistent policies, declining funding and political commitment as well as problems of accountable and transparent management practices. The paper argues that the above factors relate to the overall influences of macro and micro institutional processes as well as physical challenges that border on water and related resources management in the area. Based on these issues the paper concludes that the policy on IWRM in Nigeria was a sweeping experiment with no meaningful consideration of local contexts and circumstances as well as other institutional issues for operation.

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