Going with the flow: river basins as the natural units for water management?

Water Policy ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 10 (S2) ◽  
pp. 121-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeroen Warner ◽  
Philippus Wester ◽  
Alex Bolding
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Water Policy ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
River Basins ◽  
River Basin Management ◽  
Basin Management ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
Political Units ◽  
Multi Stakeholder ◽  
Basin Boundaries

This article engages with the currently hegemonic status of a triad of water policy prescriptions: multi-stakeholder platforms, integrated water resources management, and river basin management. A more reflective approach that opens up the choices underlying these concepts, and their limits, is needed. The choice to manage water on the basis of river basins is a political choice, and thus river basins are as much political units as they are natural units. The article concludes that the delineation of river basin boundaries, the structuring of stakeholder representation, and the creation of institutional arrangements for river basin management are political processes that revolve around matters of choice, and hence require democratic debate.

EU policy on nutrients emissions: legislation and implementation

2001 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Blöch
Keyword(s):  
Water Framework Directive ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Policy ◽  
Waste Water Treatment ◽  
River Basin Management ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Basin Management ◽  
Limit Values ◽  
Water Legislation ◽  
Emission Limit

After 25 years of EU water legislation the European Union has just thoroughly restructured its water policy. The European Parliament and the Council, following a tough conciliation procedure between the two legislators, have in summer 2000 agreed a proposal by the European Commission for a Water Framework Directive. This legislation will have the following main objectives:integrated river basin management across borders, with coordinated programmes of measuresprotection of all waters, surface waters and groundwater, in quality and quantity with a proper ecological dimensionemissions and discharges controlled by a “combined approach” of emission limit values and quality standards, plus the phasing out of particularly hazardous substancesintroducing water pricing policiesstrengthening public participation This new Water Framework Directive adopted in September 2000 will complement existing EU water legislation on nutrients reduction - the 1991 Directive on nitrates pollution from agricultural sources and the 1991 Directive on urban waste water treatment. These Directives will remain main pillars of EU water policy whilst at the same time being integrated into the river basin management in a coherent way.

MANAGING WATER RESOURCES: THE EURO-INTEGRATED VECTOR

2019 ◽  
pp. 6-13
Author(s):  
Mykhailo Khvesyk ◽  
Lyudmila Levkovska
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Water Policy ◽  
River Basin Management ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Basin Management ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
River Basin Management Plans ◽  
Management Plans

As a result of the research, the priority tasks of water policy regarding the formation of integrated water resources management system are grounded taking into account the eurointegration vector of Ukraineʼs development. The necessity of the development of water management forecasts and scenarios for the purpose of creating an information base for choosing the optimal variant for the formation of the concept of concrete actions of water resources management of the river basin has been proved. The theoretical and methodological approaches to the development of river basin management plans in the implementation of the basic provisions of the European Union water directives in the national legislation are proposed. The main mechanisms for implementation of river basin management plans are defined and classified.

scholarly journals Linking local vulnerability assessments to climatic hazard losses for river basin management

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hung-Chih Hung ◽  
Yi-Chung Liu ◽  
Sung-Ying Chien
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Damage Model ◽  
River Basins ◽  
River Basin Management ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Impact Factors ◽  
Vulnerability Factors ◽  
Basin Management ◽  
Vulnerability Assessments

Abstract. To prepare for the potential impact of climate change and related hazards, many countries have implemented integrated river basin management programs. This has led to significant challenges for local authorities to improve their understanding of how the vulnerability factors are linked to losses in climatic disaster. This article aims to examine whether highly vulnerable areas experience significantly more damage at the river basin levels due to weather extreme events, and investigates the vulnerability and hazard impact factors determine losses in a disaster. Using three river basins in southern Taiwan that were seriously affected by Typhoon Morakot in 2009 as case studies, a novel methodology is proposed that combines a geographical information system (GIS) and a multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) to evaluate and map composite vulnerability to climatic hazards across river basins. The linkages between the hazard impacts, vulnerability factors and disaster losses are then tested using a disaster damage model (DDM). The results of the vulnerability assessments demonstrate that almost all of the most vulnerable areas are situated in the regions of the middle, and upper reaches and some coastlines of the river basins. The losses and casualties due to typhoon are significantly affected by local vulnerability contexts and hazard impact factors. Finally, policy implications to minimize vulnerability and risk and for integrated river basin governance are suggested.

Integrated coastal zone and river basin management: a review of the literature, concepts and trends for decision makers

Water Policy ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 519-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
May A. Massoud ◽  
Mark D. Scrimshaw ◽  
John N. Lester
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Coastal Zone ◽  
Coastal Zone Management ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
River Basins ◽  
River Basin Management ◽  
Coastal Zones ◽  
Basin Management ◽  
Zone Management

River management has frequently been associated with water supply and resource management, whereas coastal zone management has been more concerned with marine resource management and physical planning. Recognizing the close connection between the river and its catchment area has led to a more integrated approach to river basin management, taking into account water quality along with quantity. Similarly, recognition of the importance of integrated management of the coastal zone as a move towards achieving sustainable development, has led to integrated coastal zone management, with expansion of the domain in both landward and seaward directions. Considering the intrinsic link through physical and ecological structure as well as related physical and biological processes, any modification in a river basin will ultimately affect the coastal zone. Land-based activities, rivers, estuaries, coastal zones and marine environments are all inherently interlinked. As such, an integrated approach to the concomitant management of coastal zones and river basins is crucial. This paper provides an overview of various concepts, approaches and strategies to integrated coastal zone and river basin management. It points out lessons that could be learned from previous and ongoing projects. The paper provides a starting point for investigating how changes in land use and management of river basins might have an impact on the quality of river water and the corresponding coastal zone through scrutinization of management tools and implementation instruments. The paper identifies a requirement further to develop tools which will assist in evaluating current and future environmental conditions at a river/estuary/sea interface within a rigorous framework.

scholarly journals Water Framework Directive (An “Open up” Tool for Public Participation in Water Policy)

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (30) ◽  
pp. 06-20
Author(s):  
Polytimi Farmaki ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Participation ◽  
Water Framework Directive ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Policy ◽  
Stakeholder Involvement ◽  
River Basin Management ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
New Governance ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Basin Management

The new EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60 prescribes an adaptive water governance system and has been the European Union's most comprehensive tool for the management and protection of water resources. This article analyses how WFD encourages the active involvement of “all interested parties” and represents how public participation has a key role in successful implementation. The aim of this paper is to understand the functioning and effectiveness of the new model introduced to address the lack of implementation of EU environmental rules, as WFD since its introduction in 2000, requires member states to design and implement river basin management plans via participatory processes. Moreover, we have identified that Common Implementation Strategy of WFD was designed as a tool for public participation and stakeholder involvement to river basin management planning and how participatory approaches are implemented as the new "governance" within the EU in the field of environmental policy.

scholarly journals Between Emulation and Assemblage: Analysing WFD Policy Transfer Outcomes in Turkey

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Burcin Demirbilek ◽  
David Benson
Keyword(s):  
Water Policy ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
River Basins ◽  
River Basin Management ◽  
Policy Transfer ◽  
Monitoring Cost ◽  
Transboundary Cooperation ◽  
Eu Policy ◽  
Environmental Objectives

Turkey’s protracted European Union (EU) accession process has resulted in the transfer of environmental policy, primarily the water acquis. Despite a recent reversal in accession negotiations, this process is continuing and has thereby resulted in the active Europeanisation of Turkish water policy. However, the resultant pattern of Europeanisation remains poorly understood with questions arising as to whether policy transfer is leading to significant convergence with EU policy, or if a uniquely Turkish hybrid system of water governance is emerging. The paper therefore provides an analysis of transfer outcomes from the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), using eight core institutional features: identification of river basins; transboundary cooperation; environmental objectives setting; characterisation of river basins; monitoring; cost recovery and water pricing; river basin management planning; and public participation. While analysis of legal frameworks and their implementation shows many areas of emulation, some features of the WFD in Turkey are an amalgam of pre-existing water institutions, the mimetic influence of integrated water resources management (IWRM) norms, EU policy and changing national water policy priorities: what we call assembled emulation. This observation has implications for future studies on policy transfer, Europeanisation, IWRM and Turkish accession.

The 2002 Water Law: its impacts on river basin management in China

Water Policy ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 345-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dajun Shen
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Legal Status ◽  
River Basins ◽  
River Basin Management ◽  
Large River ◽  
Water Law ◽  
Basin Management ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Management Participation ◽  
Management Institutions

Modern river basin management techniques are gaining popularity in China to effectively manage increasingly vulnerable water resources. China has several large river basins, with a variety of resource conditions and development challenges. River basins in China are facing aggravated water pollution, and development and management issues. In dealing with these issues, and in line with the evolution of modern concepts of river basin management, the 2002 Water Law of People's Republic of China for the first time defines river basin management institutions and functions, the legal status of river basin management organizations in China, and strengthens the administrative rights of river basin management organizations. However, although it is a good beginning, it is far from perfect. There are still several key issues which need to be addressed in the future, such as: function clarification, relationships between river basin management and jurisdictional management, participation, and coordination and integration of natural resources management.

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