Towards a Water Management Strategy for an environmentally sensitive and popular tourist region

1995 ◽  
Vol 32 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 245-254
Author(s):  
J. F. Kapp ◽  
A. P. M. Fijen ◽  
F. van Zyl

This paper describes the development and implementation of an Integrated Water Management Strategy for the catchment of the Wilderness Lakes in the Southern Cape, South Africa. The area is a popular tourist destination due to its environmental variety and scenic beauty. The main land uses in the catchment are: agriculture, forestry, tourism, residential settlement and the natural environment. These land uses compete for a share of the available water resources and have different water quality demands, while at the same time each has an impact on the water quality and quantity and also on other land uses. The water management strategy developed for Wilderness aimed at the responsible management and fair distribution of the available water resources (both quantity and quality) and on the sustainable use of these resources, taking full cognisance of the wishes and opinions of all interest groups in the area. The natural environment played a very important role in the development of the strategy and it was found that a more natural management of the estuary mouth would assist in maintaining the natural characteristics of the Wilderness system. The paper also addresses the structures and management body proposed to implement the Water Management Strategy.

Author(s):  
D Odontsetseg ◽  
L Janchivdorj ◽  
G Udvaltsetseg ◽  
J Frieden

Nowadays, ecological problems are being caused by economic aspects, and other hand economic issues are arising from ecological and environmental problems. Therefore, it is important to consider both social and economic factors, and take a basin approach to solving environmental problems. To find a relationship between economy and ecology, complex study of river basins is extremely important in establishing conditions for sustainable development in our country. This paper shows the results of applying DPSIR (Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response) analysis for Ulaanbaatar city, undertaken as part of a project on Integrated Water Management for the Selenge River Basin. The DPSIR analysis looks at the linkage between the economy and environment for the water quality and water resources of Ulaanbaatar. We used mDSS4 software to evaluate a range of management responses suggested by these issues and found that charging for pollution and measuring water use would have the largest overall impact on water quality and water resources respectively. The analysis was carried out for Ulaanbaatar, because it was identified as one of the key hotspot areas in the Selenge River Basin, which is the main river basin in Mongolia, in terms of both the economy and natural systems.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5564/pmas.v0i4.43Proceedings of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences 2009 No 4 pp.22-31


2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Eppel

A refrain heard often in respect of Canterbury’s current approach to water governance is ‘there had to be a better way’. Canterbury has 12.7% of the national population, contributes 13% to GDP, and yet encompasses 17% of New Zealand’s land area, much of which, because of soil type and slope, is considered irrigable. What happens in Canterbury has material significance for the country as a whole. So, what is Canterbury doing about the management of its water resources, why do those involved think it could be ‘a better way’, and is there evidence that they might be right?


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marium Sara Minhas Bandeali

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.


1995 ◽  
Vol 31 (8) ◽  
pp. 393-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joost de Jong ◽  
Peter T. J. C. van Rooy ◽  
S. Harry Hosper

Until the last two decades, the global perception of how to control our various water bodies was remarkably similar – water management was organised on a sectoral basis, as it always had been. It was only in the 1970s that the people actually responsible for implementing water management began to become aware of the serious implications of such an approach: water quality deterioration, desiccation and an alarming loss of the flora and fauna that characterised their local water environment. It was a growing awareness that led to the formation of the concept of integrated water management, a concept almost universally accepted today as the way forward. However, despite the fact that few dispute the validity of the concept, a number of obstacles remain before this theoretical agreement can be transformed into practical action. Three main bottlenecks stand in the way of implementation: institutional, communicational and socio-political. Whilst solutions to these are available, the key question still to be answered is whether society is really prepared to accept the consequent changes in the way we live that will result from putting the theory of integrated water management into practice. It was this issue that dominated the “Living with water” conference held in Amsterdam in September 1994. The following is a summary of the discussions held there and the various papers that were submitted.


2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (01) ◽  
pp. 59-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed S. Abou-Sayed ◽  
Karim S. Zaki ◽  
Gary Wang ◽  
Manoj Dnyandeo Sarfare ◽  
Martin H. Harris

2003 ◽  
Vol 4 (7) ◽  
pp. 35-60
Author(s):  
Luis Ernesto Cervera Gómez ◽  
Rodolfo Rubio Salas

This article aims to analyze some basic criteria for a sustainable use of water in an international watershed shared by Mexico and the United States. The study area comprises the region of Ambos Nogales, which is located inside the Upper Santa Cruz River Basin. This portion of the watershed represents the main ecosystem and the main source of water for urban and rural populations located in this region. Following criteria of sustainability the authors revise and adapt to the case of Ambos Nogales, a set of guidelines proposed by the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security. These guidelines include the following elements: basic water requirements needed to maintain quality of life in the population and the health of ecosystems; water quality that meets certain minimum standards; human actions and their impact on long-term renewability of freshwater stocks and flows; collection of data concerning water resources, use and quality of water; institutional mechanisms to prevent and resolve conflicts; and a democratic process of water-planning and decision-making. These twin cities have a long history of cooperation and conflict linked to water resources, which makes available enough information to create a diagnostic about the water management inside a binational arena, and allowing to explore possibilities for a better water resources management under a sustainable regime and from an international perspective. Keywords: Sustainability, binational water management, ambos Nogales region.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document