scholarly journals Data management for integrated water resources management in Central Asia

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 1425-1440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iskandar Abdullaev ◽  
Shavkat Rakhmatullaev
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Data Management ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
Water Sector ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Institutional Settings

Information technologies can act as technical artifacts and can facilitate stakeholder communication, supporting decision making in a complex societal context. The water sector is one such example where limited water resources are threatened by climate change and growing competition for resources between sectors, regions and countries. Attempts to improve water governance and management through information technologies have been made by international, regional and national water agencies for the last 20 years in Central Asia. However, early attempts were focused on collection, systematization and analysis of the generic data related to the water sector in the region. There are still significant gaps (technical, human and financial capacities) for application of such technologies at the lower operational levels of water management, i.e. where the full dimensions of variables, interactions and complexities are observed and, most importantly, everyday politics of water are performed. The aim of this paper is to present practical results on improving water management in Central Asia through the application of better data management tools at the operational level across diverse institutional settings, i.e. transboundary, watershed levels in the region.

Improving water governance in Central Asia through application of data management tools

2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 151-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iskandar Abdullaev ◽  
Shavkat Rakhmatullaev ◽  
Alexander Platonov ◽  
Denis Sorokin
Keyword(s):  
Data Management ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Management Tools

Good water governance and IWRM in Zambia: challenges and chances

Water Policy ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 845-862 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Uhlendahl ◽  
Pritam Salian ◽  
Claudia Casarotto ◽  
Jakob Doetsch
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Water Policy ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
Water Sector ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Hydropower Production

The implementation of principles for water governance is widely accepted but challenging for the whole water sector of a developing country like Zambia, because of the legal and administrative changes and organizational requirements involved. In February 2010, a revised water policy for Zambia was approved by the Cabinet. The revised National Water Policy 2010 aims to improve water resources management by establishing institutional coordination and by defining roles as well as responsibilities for various ministries. Taking into account the previous political and administration changes, this paper points out the problems and challenges of the implementation of good water governance mechanisms in Zambia. Focusing on the Kafue River Basin, from which water is abstracted for a variety of conflicting purposes (like municipal supplies, industrial use, mining, irrigation of agricultural land, fishery activities, wetland reserves and hydropower production), the gaps in implementing good water governance and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Zambia are identified, as well as the factors causing these gaps in the Zambian water sector. The paper finishes with a overview of the opportunities given by the new water policy through Water User Associations (WUAs) at a local level.

scholarly journals Sustainable water financing and lean cost approaches as essentials for integrated water resources management and water governance: lessons learnt from the Southern African context

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 536-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Hilbig ◽  
Karl-Ulrich Rudolph
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Great Influence ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Scarce Water

Abstract The deterioration of water quality, stressed water resources and increasing water demand are among the most serious concerns in Africa and worldwide. At the same time, there is a lack of efficient and sustainable water management. This is a major challenge for future water governance policies and processes. Economic aspects play a key role for the successful implementation of integrated water resources management (IWRM) measures. Financing mechanisms are of great influence regarding how water and wastewater facilities are designed, built and operated and how these facilities contribute to an efficient long-term management of scarce water resources. Research projects in Southern Africa have shown the need of water management efficiency and the essential role of sustainable water finance for an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable management of these resources.

scholarly journals A Water Compact for Sustainable Water Management

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7339
Author(s):  
Khaldoon A. Mourad
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
Water Sector ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Sustainable Water Resources Management ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
National Workshop

The water sector in Somalia is fragmented and needs coordination to establish a functioning water governance system. Therefore, commitments from all affected stakeholders are needed to support water resources development in Somalia. This paper proposed a water compact for Somalia that can address all water sector challenges to approach sustainability. The paper starts by analyzing water sector stakeholders in Somalia, describing their missions and relationship with the compact, categorizing all selected stakeholders based on their power and interest, and identifying key stakeholders. Based on the outcome from the national workshop and the literature, a water compact was proposed highlighting possible actions to solve the identified challenges. The compact covered four thematic areas: water governance, water use and services, water resilience, and integrated water resources management, which were discussed by all engaged stakeholders in a national workshop. The water compact will ensure sustainable water resources management. The paper highlighted the need for engaging the local media and the local people to get the much needed and valued feedback for possible interventions.

scholarly journals Integrated Water Resources Management Approaches to Improve Water Resources Governance

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3424
Author(s):  
Juliet Katusiime ◽  
Brigitta Schütt
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Management Approaches ◽  
The Impact

The water crisis can alternatively be called a governance crisis. Thus, the demand for good water governance to ensure effective water resources management and to attain specific water goals is growing. Many countries subscribe to the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approach to achieve this goal. The Integrated Water Resources Management approach aims to ensure a process that promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources in a drainage basin to maximise economic and social welfare equitably without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems. The design of the Integrated Water Resources Management approach, including its pillars and principles, aspires to good water governance and effective resource management. However, empirical studies examining this hypothesis and analysing the impact of the Integrated Water Resources Management approach on water resources governance are limited, especially in developing countries. Therefore, we characterised and compared the water resources governance aspects of two catchments in Uganda’s Lake Albert basin. One of the catchments was exposed to integrated water resources management projects, while the other had no exposure to integrated water resources management projects. Some of the factors that supported the comparability of the two sites included spatial proximity linking into a related hydrological and social-economic setup, common water needs and belonging to the same water administration zone. Comparing both areas led us to analyse whether there was a difference in water resources governance actions, as well as in the quality of water resources governance, under the same overall water management and administrative zone. The data were based on field surveys using questionnaires and information guides in both catchments. The results show that the performance of water resources governance is markedly better in the catchment with Integrated Water Resources Management practices than the base catchment unaffected by these practices. Key themes examined include water resources governance styles, water resources governance systems presence, functionality, the performance of good governance principles, and water resources management effectiveness. The findings contribute to the aspirations for the promotion of integrated water management approaches for improved water resources governance, and the concept that the effectiveness of water resources management measures depends on governance effectiveness. Water governance is significant, as it spells out the power, rights, decisions, and priorities relating to given water resources and communities.

scholarly journals Integrated Water Resources Management in Federations: The Examples of Brazil and Switzerland

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 1914
Author(s):  
Graziele Muniz Miranda ◽  
Emmanuel Reynard
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
Power Sharing ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Integrated Water Management ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Main Challenge ◽  
Institutional Challenges

International water institutions worldwide consider integrated water resources management (IWRM) to be the most sustainable way to manage water. Governments have modified their legal and institutional framework in order to apply integrated water management tools in the river basin. Institutional challenges are common in federations due to complex power sharing at national and subnational levels. This article discusses the implementation of the hegemonic model of IWRM in federations, based on a review of the literature for two different federal countries: Brazil and Switzerland. Due to the centralized character of Brazilian federalism, adjustments made in recent decades aimed to adapt the water management model through a hegemonic approach of participation and decentralization, shaped by international experiences and institutions. Some challenges concern vertical interplay, concerning coordination between levels and effective implementation of decentralization and participation. In contrast, Switzerland has a non-hegemonic model of water management, which is varied and fragmented throughout the country. As management is decided and applied locally, the main challenge concerns horizontal interplay, with regionalization and coordination of water uses.

Water Security

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farhad Mukhtarov ◽  
Aleh Cherp
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
Economic Security ◽  
Human Welfare ◽  
Food Energy

In the post–Cold War era, the concept of water security referred to the potential dangers of conflict over water resources and safety of drinking water infrastructure from attacks by military enemies or terrorists. By the 1990s, water security increasingly became discussed together with human security and such concerns as economic security, environmental security, energy security, and food security. The use of security jargon in the field of water resources signaled the importance of this resource for the survival of nations. Definitions of water security prominent in the 1990s focused on the quantity and quality of water supply for human welfare and economic development. More recently, an additional requirement for water management emerged, namely, the functioning of the biosphere as the basis for human well-being. The most recent definitions of water security embrace both human and ecosystem access to water, most often in the form of the so-called water-food-energy nexus with the emphasis on the links between these resources. However defined, the use of the “water security” concept is clearly on the rise in the circles of academics, government officials, and policymakers. However, it is not without its critics who challenge “water security” as failing to add value to the discussions of water governance. Indeed, the pre-eminence of intricate links between water, food, energy, and eco- and social systems has already been widely marked within the integrated water resources management (IWRM) discourse. The proponents of “water security,” in turn, argue for the complementarity of these two concepts. Another major debate running throughout the emerging “water security” literature is on whether it should be defined and operationalized in a broad sense as a framework for water management at multiple levels, or in a narrow sense, as a quantifiable index or a set of indicators.

Water governance: trends and needs for new capacity development

Water Policy ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 9 (S2) ◽  
pp. 19-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Håkan Tropp
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Capacity Development ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
River Basin Management ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Water Sector ◽  
Informal Networks ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Water Issues

New forms of governance focusing on process-oriented societal co-steering through, for example, formal and informal networks, partnerships and dialogue, have emerged within the water sector. The governance transformation is intrinsically linked to the increasing focus on the complexity of water management and the multifunctional character of water and the search for alternative forms of organisation. The emergence of concepts like integrated water resources management and river basin management should be seen in the light of the governance transformation. The full potential of the governance transformation for improved management of water resources and services is yet to be fully realised. Water decision-makers and managers are currently not prepared to fully realise the development potentials of new forms of governance, such as facilitating inclusive decision-making processes, coordination and negotiated outcomes. There is thus a need for additional sociocratic knowledge and capacity development that, for example, puts the emphasis on the management of people and processes, diversity of organisation and knowledge sharing. As a part of this it is paramount to treat politics as a part of the problem as well as of the solution and to broaden water issues outside the water sector itself.

Water Governance and Management in Indus Basin - Challenges & Threats

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marium Sara Minhas Bandeali
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Policy ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
The State ◽  
Indus Basin

Water governance and management are important challenges for the River Indus Basin in Pakistan. Water governance refers to social, political and economic factors that influence water management. The water scarcity and water security are a major concern for the state to control its water resources. The study aims to give Sindh water policy by exploring the challenges to Indus Basin in managing water resources and to identify opportunities Indus Basin can look to improve water management. Interviews were conducted from water experts and analysts having 5 years’ experience or more in the water sector of Pakistan through a semi-structured self-developed questionnaire using purposive sampling technique and transcripts were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The findings show that increasing population, climatic change and rising demand of water are major challenges Indus is facing and Indus with time is getting water-scarce therefore need strong institutions, civil society and legislatures to ensure equitable distribution of water and maintain the ecosystem. The study emphasizes that water governance and management are necessary for sustainable use of water. Pakistan, the water stress country needs to address ‘governance’ at a wider scale to solve problems in the Indus Basin for the livelihood of people. The research will benefit the state, water experts, institutions as well as civil society to promote efficient use of water in Indus Basin.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document