scholarly journals Monitoring Water Resources Governance Progress Globally: Experiences from Monitoring SDG Indicator 6.5.1 on Integrated Water Resources Management Implementation

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maija Bertule ◽  
Paul Glennie ◽  
Peter Koefoed Bjørnsen ◽  
Gareth James Lloyd ◽  
Marianne Kjellen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
Development Goals

Improved water resources governance supports important social, economic, and environmental objectives. The 2030 Agenda recognizes improved water governance to be critical for achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and commits to monitor the progress of implementation of integrated water resources management (IWRM). This paper critically reviews the approach to monitoring SDG indicator 6.5.1 on implementation of IWRM. Firstly, the paper places the indicator monitoring within the context of other initiatives to measure water governance. Secondly, it analyzes experiences of application of the SDG indicator 6.5.1 methodology to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the indicator and presents the key findings of the 2017/2018 global baseline assessment of IWRM implementation. Baseline reporting shows that degree of IWRM implementation globally is 49%, though country scores range from 10 to 100%. Disaggregating the data by country and by aspect of water resources governance provides a diagnostic tool to identify areas of high and low progress, and, therefore, where increased resources and attention are required. The article concludes by suggesting how the next iteration of SDG indicator 6.5.1 monitoring cycle can be made into a tool for advancing the IWRM implementation and improved governance practices on the ground. It also proposes how the methodology can be strengthened to address current limitations, including aspects relating to integrity, accountability and transparency.

The fallacy of the water "sector" in water resources management

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Herron
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Safety Zone ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Support Programme ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Water Community

Water resources are central to the achievement of all the Sustainable Development Goals, and should be viewed as a crosscutting connector - not a sector. The water community should do more to get outside its safety zone and work with all water-related sectors. The SDG 6 IWRM Support Programme is assisting countries to use water as a connector between their SDG targets.

scholarly journals A review of the design and implementation of Ghana's National Water Policy (2007)

Water Policy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josephine Frimpong ◽  
Ronald Adamtey ◽  
Anders Branth Pedersen ◽  
Esther Wahaga ◽  
Anne Jensen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Water Policy ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Institutional Capacity ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
National Water

Abstract Access to water is a matter of daily survival for people around the world. Water is crucial for human survival and also central to the development of every nation. The recent literature on world water suggests that the water crisis being experienced is related to governance and not a real crisis of scarcity and stress. This paper aims at identifying water governance practices and the challenges associated with water governance in Ghana. The paper reviews the literature on the implementation of policy directives and actions with specific focus on water resources governance aspects of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Ghana. Ghana's National Water Policy is expected to turn the fortunes of the country around in terms of water resources management. Concerning water resources management, the policy advocates for an IWRM approach. Since its implementation, certain setbacks have been challenging the effectiveness of the policy, such as inadequate institutional capacity, inadequate funding, ineffective enforcement of existing regulations, inadequate legal framework, and lack of adequate data. The paper suggests, among other things, the building of both human and institutional capacity, and making the environment a government priority, as ways to contribute to the effective implementation of the National Water Policy.

Assessment of Local Water Resources for Sustainable Development Goals

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Homero Castanier
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Development Goals

<p>Based on the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – Targets - Indicators 2016-2030, the objective of this paper is to emphasize on water resources as a cross-cutting issue and at the center of sustainable development, presenting a specific analysis of the importance of a better knowledge of the hydrology - hydrometrics of country major and local basins as fundamental information for water resources sustainable management. This implies the review of specific indicators related to the knowledge at town level of water resources assessment and availability, fundamental to life, health, food security, energy, the environment, and human well-being.</p><p>There are limitations including the lack of accurate and complete data. Local sub-national variation in water resources and water withdrawal could be considerable, as at the level of local or individual river basins, and the lack of account of seasonal variations in water resources. Regional values may mask huge differences within regions and also within countries where people live in areas of serious water scarcity, although each country could have enough renewable water resources overall.</p><p>In order to ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity, and to implement integrated water resources management at all levels (targets 6.4 and 6.5 of the SDGs), a fundamental baseline is the assessment of available and exploitable water resources at local level, as well as its development feasibility. </p><p>Data on water resources availability is a key indicator that should be approached at local level, since in a majority of countries, i) most local and rural communities and towns do not count with the information regarding their water resources, ii) local information will contribute to improve the accuracy of information of renewable water resources at country level, iii) rural settlements are in general the most vulnerable, lacking services of drinking water and irrigation for food security, and iv) small variations on the estimations of available water resources would represent social, environmental and economic consequences on water resources management and sustainable development planning.</p><p>Based on the analysis of the ecohydrology of two case studies, it is demonstrated that there cannot be effective integrated water resources management (IWRM) at town level if there is a lack of information on water resources availability.</p><p>Considering the limitations described in regard to goals-targets-indicators of sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity, and the implementation of integrated water resources management, it is indispensable to count with adequate and reliable local hydrological - hydrometric data and monitoring systems that would contribute to partially control these limitations, assessing available water supplies for community planning.</p><p>In reference to Agenda 2030, countries must implement a complementary indicator, as the percentage of the population whose water sources are monitored by means of adequate measuring methods, providing information on surface water and ground water regimes that influence water availability.</p>

scholarly journals Monitoring Transboundary Water Cooperation in SDG 6.5.2: How a Critical Hydropolitics Approach Can Spot Inequitable Outcomes

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 3640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hussam Hussein ◽  
Filippo Menga ◽  
Francesca Greco
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Transboundary Cooperation ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Water Cooperation ◽  
Access To Water ◽  
Development Goals

This article contributes to critical sustainability studies through an interrogation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their action towards improving access to water and sanitation. This is done through an analysis of ‘SDG 6: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all’, specifically focusing on Target 6.5: ‘By 2030, implement integrated water-resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate’, and its related Indicator 6.5.2, ‘Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation’. While on paper Target 6.5 might seem relatively unproblematic, this article shows that its implementation could have some unintended practical implications for countries sharing transboundary waters. This article fine-tunes SDG 6.5.2 by suggesting two additional qualitative steps to improve the indicator. These qualitative dimensions are deemed extremely important for two reasons: the first one is the need to unfold and tackle inequitable water agreements; the second reason is to assess, recognize, and promote the role of civil society, NGOs, and technical and informal cooperation as a positive path toward the actual achievement of formal cooperation. The two steps that we propose are deemed essential if the United Nations (UN) is going to include SDG 6.5.2 as a proactive tool in the achievement of “implementing integrated water-resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate”, as declared in the 2030 agenda.

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 Mutual Learning and Policy Transfer in Integrated Water Resources Management: A Research Agenda

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Fritsch ◽  
David Benson
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
Policy Transfer ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Mutual Learning

Integrated water resources management (IWRM) has become a global paradigm for the governance of surface, coastal and groundwater. International bodies such as the European Union, the Global Water Partnership, and the United Nations have taken the lead to promote IWRM principles, while countries worldwide have undertaken reforms to implement these principles and to restructure their domestic or regional water governance arrangements. However, the international transfer of IWRM principles raises a number of theoretical, empirical and normative questions related to its causes, processes and outcomes. These questions will be explored in our Special Issue ‘Governing IWRM: Mutual Learning and Policy Transfer’. This editorial briefly introduces IWRM and links this governance paradigm to theoretical and empirical scholarship on policy transfer. We then summarise the aims and objectives of this Special Issue, provide an overview of the articles brought together here and offer avenues for future research.

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