scholarly journals Mainstreaming Gender in Pursuit of Millennium Development Goals in Water Resource Governance in Buhera, Zimbabwe

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ephraim Chifamba
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resource ◽  
Millennium Development Goals ◽  
Gender Mainstreaming ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
Primary Role ◽  
Resource Governance ◽  
Development Goals

Women have the primary role for the management of household water supply, sanitation and health. Water is necessary for drinking, but also for food production and preparation, personal hygiene, care of the sick, cleaning, washing and waste disposal. Because of their dependence on water resources, women have accumulated considerable knowledge about water resources, including location, quality and storage methods. However, efforts geared towards improving the management of the finite water resources and extending access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation, have often overlooked the central role that women play in water management. The study used both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. The research noted that despite increased gender awareness and the availability of much more information on women’s and men’s roles in water management, gender is not yet mainstreamed into this sector. The study revealed that prospects for effective gender mainstreaming in water resource management will hinge on how the main agenda can address the transformation of gender relations and treat water as a human right so as to realize the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Buhera. A gender equity approach within the water sector, should strive for a more balanced division between women and men in access to information, sharing of contribution, the degree of decision making, access to resources and benefits and the control over water resources. Addressing women’s concerns and mainstreaming gender in water governance through a livelihood approach is critical because this generates an understanding of people’s livelihood strategies and their decision making mechanisms and processes. Significant support and capacity development are required to enhance the participation in decision making processes for the success of water management initiatives.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijssm.v1i1.8946 Int. J. Soc. Sci. Manage. Vol.1(1) 2014 10-21

Drainage basin security - a key to reaching the water-related Millennium Development Goals

2004 ◽  
Vol 49 (7) ◽  
pp. xvii-xx
Author(s):  
H.E. Børge Brende
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Millennium Development Goals ◽  
Drainage Basin ◽  
Economic Impacts ◽  
Benjamin Franklin ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Value Of Water ◽  
Development And Management

“We don't realize the value of water until the well is dry”, Benjamin Franklin once said. This statement captures in many ways the water development and management challenges we are faced with. The value of water to humans and nature is not properly recognized. The role of water as an engine for growth and the macro-economic impacts of poor water management and water resources degradation are largely unknown.

scholarly journals Assessing the influence of social capital on water point sustainability in rural Ethiopia

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 611-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret T. Person ◽  
Maryann G. Delea ◽  
Joshua V. Garn ◽  
Kelly Alexander ◽  
Bekele Abaire ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resource ◽  
Collaborative Governance ◽  
Survey Tool ◽  
Rural Ethiopia ◽  
Resource Governance ◽  
Water Point ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Despite considerable investment, sustainability of rural water resources remains a critical challenge in Ethiopia. Evidence suggests social capital – the networks, norms, and trust that facilitate cooperative behaviors – influences a community's ability to manage communal water resources. In turn, strong community governance of water resources may lead to sustainable resource management. Existing evidence provides a framework for exploring the relationship between social capital and governance of common-pool resources. However, there is a dearth of quantifiable evidence demonstrating the relationship between social capital, collaborative governance, and, in turn, sustainability of communal water resources. In 32 communities in rural Ethiopia, we employed a validated survey tool, developed by the World Bank, to quantify social capital and explore these relationships. We found associations between governance and several social capital domains: groups and networks, trust and solidarity, and information and communication. All governance indicators were associated with functionality. Identifying domains of social capital that influence governance can inform institutional efforts to target community-based water resource programming, foster social capital to improve water point sustainability, and diagnose issues related to resource management. Additional research examining the influence and directionality of social capital and other social constructs on water resource governance and functionality is warranted.

Operationalising uncertainty in data and models for integrated water resources management

2007 ◽  
Vol 56 (9) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.W. Blind ◽  
J.C. Refsgaard
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
Integrated Water Management ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Broad Objective ◽  
Parameter Values

Key sources of uncertainty of importance for water resources management are (1) uncertainty in data; (2) uncertainty related to hydrological models (parameter values, model technique, model structure); and (3) uncertainty related to the context and the framing of the decision-making process. The European funded project ‘Harmonised techniques and representative river basin data for assessment and use of uncertainty information in integrated water management (HarmoniRiB)’ has resulted in a range of tools and methods to assess such uncertainties, focusing on items (1) and (2). The project also engaged in a number of discussions surrounding uncertainty and risk assessment in support of decision-making in water management. Based on the project's results and experiences, and on the subsequent discussions a number of conclusions can be drawn on the future needs for successful adoption of uncertainty analysis in decision support. These conclusions range from additional scientific research on specific uncertainties, dedicated guidelines for operational use to capacity building at all levels. The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on these conclusions and anchoring them in the broad objective of making uncertainty and risk assessment an essential and natural part in future decision-making processes.

scholarly journals Improving water governance in New Zealand: stakeholder views of catchment management processes and plans

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Fenemor ◽  
Diarmuid Neilan ◽  
Will Allen ◽  
Shona Russell
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Scientific Understanding ◽  
Catchment Management ◽  
Stakeholder Views ◽  
Management Processes ◽  
Decision Making Processes

Water governance refers to the institutions, legislation and decision-making processes applied to develop and manage water resources. As pressures on water resources increase there has been a realisation that technocratically-driven water management has not achieved desired sustainability outcomes. Attention must be focused not only on better scientific understanding of water and its values and uses, but also on what constitutes good water governance.

scholarly journals Gender Imbalance in Policy Making Level in Science and Ethical Issue

1970 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-17
Author(s):  
Shamima Parvin Lasker
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Millennium Development Goals ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Prime Minister ◽  
Marie Curie ◽  
Gender Imbalance ◽  
Representation Of Women ◽  
Participation Of Women ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Developed Nations

When the achievement of women leadership in Science and technology (S&T) is heighten in developed nations in comparison to women in developing countries, it is unfortunate that women are invariably left below, rarely reaching decision-making positions in S&T in Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, Prime Minister and Leader of Opposition are female but when it comes to leadership in science, it is difficult to find a Marie Curie in Bangladesh. Men are twenty times more likely than women to reach the top level positions in research. Women are underrepresented in almost in all scientific boards. The scarcity of women in senior positions in such bodies inevitably means that their opinions are less likely to be voiced in policy and decisionmaking processes, which may lead to bias decision-making and priority setting in scientific research. The causes of lower representation of women in S&T are discussed. All the causes raise ethical questions and violate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDTH). Millennium development goals can never be accomplished without the active participation of women who represent 50 percent of the population, particularly their involvement in science education. Based on this analysis, a change of culture is required to improve gender imbalance in decision-making level in science.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bioethics.v2i1.9812  Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics 2011; 2(1): 13-17

scholarly journals Modeling and analysis of collective management of water resources

2007 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 711-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Tilmant ◽  
P. van der Zaag ◽  
P. Fortemps
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resource ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
Collective Choice ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Water Resources Systems ◽  
Water Users ◽  
Operating Policies ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) recommends, among other things, that the management of water resources systems be carried out at the lowest appropriate level in order to increase the transparency, acceptability and efficiency of the decision-making process. Empowering water users and stakeholders transforms the decision-making process by enlarging the number of point of views that must be considered as well as the set of rules through which decisions are taken. This paper investigates the impact of different group decision-making approaches on the operating policies of a water resource. To achieve this, the water resource allocation problem is formulated as an optimization problem which seeks to maximize the aggregated satisfaction of various water users corresponding to different approaches to collective choice, namely the utilitarian and the egalitarian ones. The optimal operating policies are then used in simulation and compared. The concepts are illustrated with a multipurpose reservoir in Chile. The analysis of simulation results reveals that if this reservoir were to be managed by its water users, both approaches to collective choice would yield significantly different operating policies. The paper concludes that the transfer of management to water users must be carefully implemented if a reasonable trade-off between equity and efficiency is to be achieved.

Water Management

2021 ◽  
pp. 387-400
Author(s):  
Rajan Janardhanan
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Management ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resource ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Water Sources ◽  
Global Food Security ◽  
The World

The world faces an unprecedented crisis in water resources management, with profound implications for global food security, protection of human health, and maintenance of all ecosystems on Earth. Large uncertainties still plague quantitative assessments of climate change impacts and water resource management, but what is known for certain is that the climate is changing and that it will have an effect on water resources. Therefore, increased efforts will be needed to plan and manage water supplies in the future through increased monitoring and understanding of the interrelationships between population size, climate change, and water availability. The focus of water management is gradually shifting from developing new water sources to using existing water sources more effectively and efficiently. The world needs policy change in water management. Respect for water resources and their value is the starting point of deliberations. Governments have the essential water management function: to protect and allocate water resources to allow both individual and collective interests to benefit from water. Societies must also lead in understanding, provisioning for mitigating the impact of disasters, ranging from extreme droughts to unprecedented floods, caused by climate change and poor management of water and land. Public funds will likely remain the main source of water sectoral funding. It is up to governments to invest wisely to enhance the crucial role that water has for social and economic development in a country. Integrated water resource management strategy is accepted as a global model for achieving the objective of a sustainable water management system.

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