scholarly journals From Water Management to Water Stewardship—A Policy Maker’s Opinion on the Progress of the Mining Sector

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Shared Resources ◽  
Mining Operations ◽  
Mining Sector ◽  
Water Users ◽  
External Stakeholders ◽  
Access To Water ◽  
Critical Resource ◽  
Water Scarce

Water is a critical resource for mining operations, as it is for many other water users within any local catchment. With operations often located in water scarce areas, mining companies are increasingly experiencing competition for access to water resources. Concerns over the potential adverse impacts of mining on these shared resources has resulted in the sectors water management approach and practices being challenged by external stakeholders including local communities. This paper overviews the drivers that have resulted in the mining sector expanding its approach from water management within the operational fence line to catchment water stewardship, some of the major obstacles to continued progress and the related needs for guidance, research and research applications.

Workshop 4 (synthesis): criteria for priorities between competing water interests in a catchment

2003 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 149-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Braga ◽  
J. Granit
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Political Discourse ◽  
Strong Influence ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Fair Allocation ◽  
Allocation Mechanism ◽  
Water Policies ◽  
Water Users ◽  
Water Uses

Growing demand for water leads to increased competition between water users. A holistic, participatory and decentralized water management approach is promoted to reach a fair allocation mechanism between competing water uses. Domestic political discourse has a strong influence on water policies being developed.

scholarly journals Water Stewardship: Attributes of Collaborative Partnerships between Mining Companies and Communities

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1081 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jocelyn Fraser ◽  
Nadja Kunz
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
Social Value ◽  
Collaborative Partnerships ◽  
Sustainable Water Management ◽  
Mining Companies ◽  
Water Users ◽  
High Conflict ◽  
Water Scarce ◽  
Exploratory Case Studies

With many of the world’s largest mines operating in jurisdictions of water scarcity, competition for water has become a frequent source of tension between mining companies and other water users. Water stewardship is, therefore, becoming an important strategy for the mining sector to address stakeholder concerns and earn social acceptance. Collaborative partnerships between mining and other water users are a necessary component of advancing water stewardship, but the attributes needed to implement a successful water stewardship strategy are understudied. This paper addresses this gap by examining two exploratory case studies in Peru and Mongolia, where collaboration has been used as a strategy for promoting more sustainable outcomes in water-scarce regions. The findings suggest that while questions remain about who is best suited to lead collaborative partnerships, trust in the entity responsible for leading collaborative partnerships (especially in situations of high conflict) and a willingness to allow each partner to play to their strengths are critical attributes of success. We conclude that the outcome of collective action between mining companies and other water users offers the potential to deliver both business and social value, and to advance more sustainable water management.

scholarly journals Water resources in the Klein Karoo: the challenge of sustainable development in a water-scarce area

2009 ◽  
Vol 105 (1/2) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Le Maitre ◽  
Christine Colvin ◽  
Ashton Maherry
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Annual Runoff ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Land Restoration ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Water Scarce

The Klein Karoo is situated in the Western Cape, South Africa, and is characterised by low rainfall (100–450 mm yr–1). The Klein Karoo is situated in the primary catchment of the Gouritz River. The mean annual runoff (MAR) for the three major tributaries of the Gouritz River arising in or feeding the Klein Karoo (Touws, Gamka, Olifants) is 540 Mm3 yr–1. Groundwater recharge in the three Klein Karoo catchments is ±257 Mm3 yr–1, but only a portion of this reaches the rivers. The very variable flows result in low 1:50 year yield of 161 Mm3 (30% of MAR). The current demand for water in these catchments is 182 Mm3 yr–1, which exceeds the yield, and demand is projected to increase between 23% and 150% by 2025. Changes in the approach to water management are required, including improving the efficiency of irrigation and land restoration to improve water infiltration and reduce soil erosion. We believe that it is time to change to a water management approach that is designed to anticipate and manage the inherent variability in water resources in the Klein Karoo, thereby placing the region on a path to sustainable development.

Improving efficiency in water use and conservation in Spanish hotels

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 273-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Cobacho ◽  
F. Arregui ◽  
J.C. Parra ◽  
E. Cabrera
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Fundamental Component ◽  
Conservation Actions ◽  
Water Scarce

Hotels are a fundamental component within the tourist Spanish sector, and their role in water management turns out even more relevant taking into account the fact that tourist areas, in which they are generally located, are water scarce. Trying to go further from the standard ratios and estimations to plan water conservation, this work intends to really measure and quantify water use in rooms. Only by doing this, can subsequent conservation actions, now able to be reliably specified for each specific use, achieve a real success.

scholarly journals Impacts of Legal and Institutional Changes on Irrigation Management Performance: A Case of the Gezira Irrigation Scheme, Sudan

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Elshaikh ◽  
Shi-hong Yang ◽  
Xiyun Jiao ◽  
Mohammed Elbashier
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Irrigation System ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Institutional Arrangements ◽  
Institutional Changes ◽  
Management Performance ◽  
Water Users ◽  
Water Surplus ◽  
The Right

This study aims to offer a comprehensive assessment of the impacts of policies and institutional arrangements on irrigation management performance. The case study, the Gezira Scheme, has witnessed a significant decrease in water management performance during recent decades. This situation led to several institutional changes in order to put the system on the right path. The main organizations involved in water management at the scheme are the Ministry of Irrigation & Water Resources (MOIWR), the Sudan Gezira Board (SGB), and the Water Users Associations (WUAs). Different combinations from these organizations were founded to manage the irrigation system. The evaluation of these organizations is based on the data of water supply and cultivated areas from 1970 to 2015. The measured data were compared with two methods: the empirical water order method (Indent) that considers the design criteria of the scheme, and the Crop Water Requirement (CWR) method. Results show that the MOIWR period was the most efficient era, with an average water surplus of 12% compared with the Indent value, while the most critical period (SGB & WUAs) occurred when the water supply increased by 80%. The other periods of the Irrigation Water Corporation (IWC), (SGB & MOIWR), and (WUAs & MOIWR) had witnessed an increase in water supply by 29%, 63%, and 67% respectively. Through these institutional changes, the percentage of excessive water supply jumped from 12% to 80%. Finally, the study provides general recommendations associated with institutional arrangements and policy adoption to improve irrigation system performance.

scholarly journals Inclusive participation, self-governance, and sustainability: Current challenges and opportunities for women in leadership of communal irrigation systems

2020 ◽  
pp. 251484862093471
Author(s):  
Laura Imburgia ◽  
Henny Osbahr ◽  
Sarah Cardey ◽  
Janet Momsen
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Irrigation Systems ◽  
Representation Of Women ◽  
Water Users ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Current Water

Genuine inclusive participation in the self-governance of communal irrigation systems remains a challenge. This article analyses the mechanisms of participation in irrigation water users’ associations (WUAs) with focus on women as leaders of those organizations by drawing on cases from a comparative, multicase mixed-method study in Ethiopia and Argentina. After having being a topic for decades in gender and development debates, in many irrigated areas of the world, WUAs continue to be male dominated at all levels, especially in influential positions. Findings in this article suggest that despite large socio-economic and cultural differences, the current water management systems in both research locations reinforce problems of unequal gender participation; women have more obstacles and constraints in establishing equal access in membership, participation, and decision making in irrigation management. The lack of inclusive participation and the low representation of women in leadership roles lead to WUAs being poorly rooted in their community of users. Incomplete social rootedness of WUAs jeopardizes their effectiveness and equality in water management and, as a result, affects long-term sustainability. Through analysis of empirical data of communal small-scale irrigation systems in both countries, the article discusses who participates, how and why they participate, and the reasons for low numbers of women in leadership roles within the WUAs. Finally, the article reflects on possible enabling conditions that could foster inclusive participation, increase the quantity and capacity of women in management and leadership roles, and the benefits this may bring to sustainable irrigation systems.

scholarly journals Groundwater Recharge for Drought and Endangered Species Protection

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Miller ◽  
Anita Milman ◽  
Madison Burson ◽  
John Tracy ◽  
Michael Kiparsky
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Endangered Species ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
San Antonio ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Edwards Aquifer ◽  
Aquifer Storage ◽  
Water Users ◽  
Current Implementation ◽  
Endangered Species Protection

San Antonio Water Systems (SAWS) developed its H2Oaks aquifer storage and recovery project in response to pumping restrictions set on its primary source of water supply, the Edwards Aquifer. The H2Oaks project pumps water from the Edwards Aquifer during wet years and transports it to the H2Oaks project site, where it is injected into the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer for storage. Stored water is withdrawn to meet municipal demand when restrictions on Edwards Aquifer pumping are in place. Although created for the purpose of securing supplies for SAWS, the H2Oaks project became a centerpiece for regional water management. Storage is used during drought to mitigate impacts on pumping while ensuring minimum springflows needed to protect endangered species in the Edwards aquifer. Currently, the project stores over 176,000 acre-feet of water. This case study traces the development of the H2Oaks project from the passage of the Edwards Aquifer Act to the project’s current implementation. The H2Oaks project demonstrates the potential for groundwater recharge projects to store water as protection against drought conditions. It also demonstrates how storage by one entity can support water management needs across the broader community of water users.

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