Your search found 26 records
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050947)
(0.62 MB) (632 KB)
Water User Associations are community-based institutions that cover segments of rivers and are responsible for water management decisions. These are the result of institutional blueprints designed by the international community, widely adopted around the world. However, the implementation gaps between these generic institutional designs and the working on the ground are vast and require site-specific information to support water management decisions at the local scale. We used a hydrological modelling approach to assess how community-based decisions can maximize their outcomes and improve overall availability of water resources in the Great Ruaha River Catchment in Tanzania, a catchment that is under severe drought pressures and is of the utmost ecological, social, and political relevance at the national scale. We provide information to support decisions on when and where to focus conservation and management strategies by identifying the seasonal and spatial variability of water availability in the catchment. Our methods have the potential to be used in other catchments around the world. This study shows the importance of assessing the hydrological processes affecting the geographies of community-based institutions to identify priority areas of action.
2 Smith, Mark. 2022. If not now, when? Converging needs for water security, systemic change, and finance and investment. In Leflaive, X.; Dominique, K.; Alaerts, G. J. (Eds.). Financing investment in water security: recent developments and perspectives. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. pp.3-16. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-822847-0.00009-0]
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051150)
(18.10 MB)
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051214)
(1.89 MB) (1.89 MB)
Water scarcity is a global issue, affecting in excess of four billion people. Interbasin Water Transfer (IBWT) is an established method for increasing water supply by transferring excess water from one catchment to another, water-scarce catchment. The implementation of IBWT peaked in the 1980s and was accompanied by a robust academic debate of its impacts. A recent resurgence in the popularity of IBWT, and particularly the promotion of mega-scale schemes, warrants revisiting this technology. This paper provides an updated review, building on previously published work, but also incorporates learning from schemes developed since the 1980s. We examine the spatial and temporal distribution of schemes and their drivers, review the arguments for and against the implementation of IBWT schemes and examine conceptual models for assessing IBWT schemes. Our analysis suggests that IBWT is growing in popularity as a supply-side solution for water scarcity and is likely to represent a key tool for water managers into the future. However, we argue that IBWT cannot continue to be delivered through current approaches, which prioritise water-centric policies and practices at the expense of social and environmental concerns. We critically examine the Socio-Ecological Systems and Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus models as new conceptual models for conceptualising and assessing IBWT. We conclude that neither model offers a comprehensive solution. Instead, we propose an enhanced WEF model (eWEF) to facilitate a more holistic assessment of how these mega-scale engineering interventions are integrated into water management strategies. The proposed model will help water managers, decision-makers, IBWT funders and communities create more sustainable IBWT schemes.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051220)
(1.85 MB) (1.85 MB)
This research aims at establishing an integrated modelling framework to assess the impact of climate change on water supply and demand across an arid area in the western Haouz plain in Morocco. Five general circulation models (GCMs) are used to evaluate the availability of future water resources under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 emission scenarios). The projected crop water demand and irrigation water demand were analysed using the Aquacrop software, taking into account the impact of climate change on both reference evapotranspiration and crop cycle lengths. The future water balance is simulated by means of the Water Evaluation And Planning (WEAP) tool, including several socio-economic and land use scenarios under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. The results reveal an important decrease in net precipitation with an average of -36.2% and -50.5% under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios, respectively. In terms of water balance, the ‘business as usual’ scenario would lead to an increasing unmet water demand of about +22% in the 2050 horizon and to an increased depletion of the water table that could reach 2 m/year. Changing water management and use practices remains the only solution to ensure sustainable water use and deal with the projected water scarcity.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051252)
(5.63 MB)
The rolling out of integrated water resources management (IWRM) in the Pangani Basin, Tanzania, faces several implementation and participation challenges. Building on experiences from GIZ–NatuReS stewardship partnerships, we argue that meaningfully engaging stakeholders and involving the private sector can help overcome these challenges and improve water security. We analyse data collected through interviews with partners and beneficiaries, and data stemming from partnership documents. Our analyses show that stakeholders are in support of creating an enabling environment based on IWRM by including tangible, results-based private–public–civil society partnerships which offer alternative and innovative solutions to address risks facing people, economies and ecosystems.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051278)
(0.90 MB) (924 KB)
Viewing water management as a multifaceted issue is critical to achieving sustainable water management. This paper proposes an integrated optimal allocation model for aquifer sustainability and environmental benefits when managing conjunctive water resources. Optimization techniques such as genetic algorithm (GA) and non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) are used to balance economic benefit and demand management based on decision makers’ preferences. The findings indicate that less water was allocated to industries with high water demand. The value of the allocated water to these industries is between 34 and 52%. Thus, it concluded that specific industries are unsustainable when environmental damage is considered. From the scenarios examined, scenario 10 (water resource conditions and water demands are determined based on existing conditions, considering domestic water management and aquifer restoration) was found to be the optimal water management scenario. The indicators of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) for this scenario are 0.30, 0.15, 190, 40.9, and 0.55 for relative water stress, aquifer sustainability, aquifer attenuation period, aquifer recovery potential, and agricultural water productivity, respectively. This finding implies that considering demand management, wastewater treatment, and the absence of industrial development in development scenarios, it will be possible to conserve aquifers and meet water demands.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051359)
(0.64 MB) (656 KB)
The objectives of this study are two fold: first, to develop a composite water security metric to assess water security at a national scale, and second, to explore the determinants of water security at the same scale in three developing regions – Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The water security index (WSI) was developed using three biophysical (water availability, climate risk and ecosystem vitality) and two socioeconomic (water accessibility and integrated water resources management) variables. Five independent variables (governance, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, percentage of urban population, official development assistance for water and sanitation services (ODA-WSS) and female primary school completion rate) were used to explore the determinants of water security. Results show that >90% of countries in Africa and the Asia-Pacific regions are water-insecure, whereas most countries in LAC are water-secure except Haiti, Guatemala and Nicaragua. Statistical analyses show that GDP per capita, female primary school completion rate and governance are the key determinants of water security. This study provides empirical evidence on the link between female primary school completion rate and water security. Results further show a strong correlation between water security and ODA-WSS in the region with a higher ODA-WSS per capita than in regions with a low ODA-WSS per capita. This suggests that increasing ODA-WSS per capita may enhance water security in developing regions.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051538)
(2.96 MB)
The significance of integrated water resources management (IWRM) is well known, while its practical implementation methods are yet to be recognized fully. The issue of recognizing and implementing an Integrated Water Resources Management based on Water Governance policies in Iran is assessed. The integrated water resources management policies, based on the simulation of the system dynamic model of sustainable water resources management, are applied to accomplish this task. The water-food-energy Nexus is of concern in this study. The obtained results indicate a 16% increase in irrigation efficiency, a 10% improvement in cultivation patterns, a 6% decrease in agricultural production loss, a 5% decrease in food product loss, and a 5% increase in annual agricultural performance. The structure of the power distribution network among legal water governance institutions in Iran is evaluated to assess the proper implementation of strategies through the social network analyzing approach. The capacities for developing participatory governance, including the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad's legal power expansion, strengthening the academic and knowledge-based enterprises' cooperation, and improving the private sector, stance, and NOGs’ supervision at state and local levels. Applying this integrated approach to modeling this dynamic integrated system is the objective. The innovation of this study is the adoption of system approaches in decision making policies extracted from dynamic integration of WFE in the water collaborative governance to achieve cohesive water management.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051561)
(5.71 MB) (5.71 MB)
Water sector planning and policy making in arid and semi-arid regions are challenging because many drivers and decision criteria require consideration. In this study, a multi-period mixed-integer linear programming model was developed to integrate and economically evaluate water management options for water supply in arid regions. The applicability of the proposed approach was demonstrated through a case study in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (EAD), United Arab Emirates. The model was programmed in general algebraic modeling system (GAMS) and solved using the Cplex solver. The model determined the optimal economic and environmental costs, capacity expansion of treatment plants and water transmission systems, and other environmental aspects including the carbon footprint and brine discharge. Results show that the capacity contribution of reverse osmosis for desalination is expected to increase from 5.1% in 2021 to 18.1% in 2050. Based on the model's results for the case study, it was concluded that even with moderate consideration of environmental aspects, desalination plants in the EAD need a major technology transformation from thermal desalination to reverse osmosis The proposed model is proved to be effective for integrated water resources management and infrastructure planning in the EAD, and has the potential for effective application in other arid or semi-arid countries.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051703)
(3.55 MB) (3.55 MB)
Afghanistan has been trying hard to gradually develop its largely underused water resources. The transboundary Kabul River basin (KRB) between Afghanistan and Pakistan contributes almost one quarter to the water resources generated nationwide. Currently, there is no cooperation mechanism pertaining to KRB, despite growing demand for irrigation and hydropower particularly on the Afghan side. This paper presents a state-of-the-art review on transboundary water issues between Afghanistan and Pakistan based on geographic, hydrographic, hydrologic, historic, institutional, and political aspects. The challenges and opportunities are carefully examined, and a path forward is presented. A persistent lack of trust between upstream Afghanistan and downstream Pakistan has hindered meaningful dialogue for cooperation. Both neighbors have high stakes in cooperation given that Afghanistan’s water resources are almost 90% transboundary and Pakistan has high dependency for water resources. This study presents a cooperation framework emphasizing benefits-sharing as a principle going beyond water needs and rights.
11 Makarigakis, A.; Partey, S.; Nagabhatla, N.; De Lombaerde, P; Libert, B.; Trombitcaia, I.; Zerrath, E.; Guerrier, D.; Faloutsos, D.; Krol, D.; Virden, E.; Arushanyan, A.; Anakhasyan, E.; Matus, S. S.; Gil, M.; Llavona, A.; Botia, L. M.; Naranjo, L.; Sarmanto, N.; Le Doze, S.; Weinberger, K.; Lerios, R.; Bhandari, S.; Gaillard-Picher, D.; Uhlenbrook, Stefan; Kumar, U. D. S.; Khayat, Z.; Zaarour, T. 2023. Regional perspectives. In UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP). The United Nations World Water Development Report 2023: partnerships and cooperation for water. Paris, France: UNESCO. pp.115-140.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051825)
(1.61 MB) (14.7 MB)
12 Kjellen, M.; Wong, C.; van Koppen, Barbara; Uprety, Labisha; Mukuyu, Patience; Avidar, O.; Willaarts, B.; Tang, T.; Witmer, L.; Nagabhatla, N.; De Lombaerde, P.; Lindelien, M. C.; Dhot, N.; Saleh, A. 2023. Governance: a ‘whole-of-society’ approach. In UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP). The United Nations World Water Development Report 2023: partnerships and cooperation for water. Paris, France: UNESCO. pp.172-182.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051827)
(1.88 MB) (14.7 MB)
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051836)
(14.70 MB) (14.7 MB)
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051895)
(3.60 MB)
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052151)
(0.73 MB) (748 KB)
Using water-energy-food-environment (WEFE) nexus as the prism, this review explores evolution of groundwater governance in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, China, Bangladesh and India – which together account for two-thirds of the global groundwater-irrigated area. Global discourse has blamed widespread water scarcity squarely on supply-side policymaking and advocated a broader template of water governance instruments. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) presented just such a template – with pricing, participation, rights and entitlements, laws, regulations, and river basin organizations – as additional water governance tools. However, the IWRM template faced disillusionment and pushback in many emerging economies. WEFE nexus, the new paradigm, prioritizes system-level optima over sectoral maxima by harnessing synergies and optimizing trade-offs between food, water, energy, soil, and eco-system sustainability within planetary boundaries. Realizing this vision presents a complex challenge in groundwater governance. Global groundwater economy comprises three sub-economies: (a) diesel-powered unregulated, as in Nepal terai, eastern India, Bangladesh, Pakistan Punjab and Sind, and much of Sub-Saharan Africa, where use-specific energy subsidies are impractical; (b) electricity-powered regulated, as in North America and Europe, where tubewells are authorized, metered and subject to consumption-linked energy charges; and (c) electricity-powered unregulated, as in geographies covered by our review – barring China, Bengal and Bangladesh – where unmeasured electricity subsidies have created a bloated groundwater economy. This last sub-economy represents the heartland of global groundwater malgovernance, least equipped to meet the sustainability challenge. It has an estimated 300 million horsepower of grid-connected electric pumps that are either unauthorized and/or unmetered and/or use free or heavily subsidized or pilfered power for irrigating 50–52 million hectares, nearly half of global groundwater-irrigated area. In (a) and (b), groundwater scarcity inspires water-energy saving behavior via increased energy cost of pumping. In sub-economy (c), users are immune to energy costs and impervious to groundwater depletion. Here, the WEFE nexus has remained blind to the irrigation realpolitik that catalyzes or constrains policy action. We explore why the political costs of rationalizing subsidies are prohibitive and exemplify how a smart transition from fossil to solar energy for pumping may offer an opportunity to turn the perverse WEFE nexus into a virtuous one.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052123)
(0.86 MB)
Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) has been transferred from the Global North to the Global South. Decades after adopting IWRM in formal policies, countries in the Global South in particular are struggling to implement it in practice. We believe the interplay of formal and informal institutions to be a reason for the failed transfer, but institutional interplay is rarely considered when policies are transferred. Based on a case study of water governance in the uMngeni river basin in South Africa, we investigate how specific types of informal institutions affect the practical implementation of selected aspects of IWRM: subsidiarity, stakeholder involvement, and securing access to water and sanitation. We explore (1) informal institutions that supported previous formal legislation and are still actively reproduced, (2) bureaucratic cultures operationalised through governance modes, and (3) traditional governance as part of a dual governance system. We find that in most cases, a higher level of similarity between formal and informal institutions leads to the more frequent implementation of formal provisions, and hence converging interplay between institutions. Passed-down power structures, another aspect of informal institutions, proved particularly resistant to institutional change. We conclude that analysing the setting of informal institutions before making policy reforms would provide a more realistic assessment of the results to be expected. Understanding institutional interplay in policy transfer processes is hence essential to designing more effective policies and avoiding the pitfalls inherent to blueprint solutions.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052127)
(1.97 MB) (1.97 MB)
Integrated water resources management (IWRM) has been central to water governance and management worldwide since the 1990s. Recognizing the significance of an integrated approach to water management as a way to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), IWRM was formally incorporated as part of the SDG global indicator framework, thus committing the UN and its Member States to achieving high IWRM implementation by 2030 and measuring progress through SDG indicator 6.5.1. This paper examines the extent to which the implementation of IWRM improves the sustainable management of water and the health of water-related ecosystems—a first-of-its-kind in terms of quantitative analysis on a global scale. To achieve this objective, we conducted regression analyses between SDG 6.5.1 (both IWRM (total score) and the dimensions of SDG 6.5.1) and key water-related environmental sustainability indicators: SDG 6.2.1a (access to basic sanitation), 6.3.1 (treated wastewater), 6.4.1 (water-use efficiency), 6.4.2 (water stress), 6.6.1 (freshwater ecosystems, although here the trophic state and turbidity variables were used) and 6.3.2 (ambient water quality). Our analysis covers 124 countries for all these SDGs, with the exception of SDG 6.3.1 and SDG 6.3.2, which cover 112 and 85 countries, respectively. Results show that IWRM—to different degrees—is mainly associated with the good status of water-related sustainability indicators, with the exception of water stress, water quality, and turbidity. We observe a strong impact of control variables such as governance arrangements, economic situation and environmental and geographical conditions. Lagged effects and the scope of the framework may also explain some observed variations in the degree of association. Our study highlights the importance of further uncovering the interlinkages between IWRM implementation and the achievement of water-related environmental sustainability. Overall, the results suggest that although IWRM implementation is primarily linked to sustainable water management and the health of water systems, context-specific factors should be taken into account when evaluating its effectiveness, to enable policy- and decision-makers to make the necessary adjustments to optimize its outcomes.
18 Vaidya, H.; Tiwari, K.; Rajadhyaksha, N. P.; Shinde, V. R.; Wong, T.; Kulkarni, H.; Dickens, Chris; Tortajada, C.; Bassi, N.; Pandey, V. P.; Jain, A.; Shaw, R.; Anshuman; Mishra, R. R.; Kaur, I.; Bahure, K.; Gupta, T.; Shah, H.; Subramanian, A.; Kumar, K. 2023. Ensuring water security. White Paper. Ahmedabad, India: Urban20 (U20). 25p.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052165)
(4.05 MB) (4.05 MB)
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052189)
(4.03 MB) (4.03 MB)
Implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), as internationally recognized, is not straightforward. IWRM is tailored to bring about three outcomes: Economic efficiency, Social equity, and Environmental and Ecological sustainability. Thus, each country faces a unique challenge in implementing IWRM. Literature reports several stumbling blocks (SBs) that hinder IWRM implementation in Ethiopia. The SBs can be categorized as Water Resources: Availability, Development, Use, and Governance-Related SBs. The spatiotemporal impacts of stumbling blocks were evaluated based on the contribution of each SB to the three outcomes. Prioritizing SBs based on their spatiotemporal contribution to hindering IWRM implementation is essential for environmental and economic reasons to simultaneously solve all SBs. The Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) was used to prioritize the SBs. The results indicate food insecurity in the water use category is the highest-ranked SB, whereas market inaccessibility is the least. Poverty and less attention to water infrastructure from water resources development are the second-ranked SBs to hinder IWRM implementation. This research has shown prioritization of SBs is possible using FAHP, and resolving these SBs in their stated priority will make IWRM implementation in the Ethiopian context much better. The research also shows IWRM implementation in Ethiopia requires careful consideration of the SBs, for which the FAHP approach is reliable.
20 Tuffour, O. K. 2023. A comparative review of the Ghana national water policy and the African development bank water and sanitation policy: implications for sustainable development. Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development, 1(1):33-43. [Special issue: on Water]
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052202)
(0.15 MB) (148 KB)
Purpose –– This review examines the Ghana National Water Policy and the African Development Bank (AfDB) Water and Sanitation Policy, focusing on their objectives, key focus areas, implementation strategies, and overall effectiveness in promoting sustainable water and sanitation governance.
Methods –– The study through desk study and content analysis analyses the strengths, achievements, challenges, and gaps in
both policies and provides recommendations for enhancing their impact.
Findings –– The review finds that the Ghana National Water Policy emphasizes integrated water resources management,
equity, stakeholder engagement, and monitoring mechanisms. It highlights the policy's achievements in improving water access
and sanitation services, promoting participatory approaches, and establishing institutional frameworks.
Conclusion & Recommendation –– The study underscores the need for collaboration among stakeholders, adequate financial
resources, and continuous learning and knowledge sharing to address the challenges and gaps in water and sanitation policies.
Keywords –– Water Governance, Sustainable Development, Ghana National Water Policy, African Development Bank
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