Integrated Water Resources Management Brochure

DELTARES – Integrated Water Resources Management – Issues, Concepts and Trends1Integrated Water Resources Management – Issues, Concepts and Trends1. Integrated Water Resources Management, objectives and definitionThe main objective of water resources management1 is to ensure the best use of availablewater resources. In addition to supporting life itself, this resource is used in the productionof economic goods and services that are needed to meet national and regional developmentgoals. Planning projects are often needed to determine how best to develop and managethese resources. According to the definition Integrated Water Resources Management(IWRM) is a process of the management of water, land, forest and aquatic resources in ariver basin context, to maximize the economic benefits and social welfare in an equitablemanner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems. This definition isaccepted by multiple financing agencies, NGOs and other relevant parties worldwide,including the Asian Development Bank ‘s (ADB) Water Policy as well as UNESCO-UNEP2, etc. IWRM uses comprehensive water resource assessments in river basins toenable a better understanding of the links between water and land use, the environment andsustainable development. As such the river basin, or in case of large river systems the sub-basins or tributaries form the basic units for the application of IWRM, both planning andmanagement.Figure A1: The River basin context2. IWRM, the international context and principles Around the world there are different concepts and models for IWRM, depending on thepolitical and institutional setting, the economic system, as well as the geographic conditionsof the respective countries. Neverthless, the trend is that they all adhere more or less, and inan increasing level to the socalled Dublin principles. Briefly these are: (a) fresh water is a finite and vulnerable resource, essential to sustain life, development andthe environment, and should be managed using an holistic approach; (b) Waterdevelopment and management should be based on a participatory approach, involving1 Reference: Water Resources Systems Planning and Management, an Introduction to Methods, Modelsand Applications, by Daniel P. Loucks and Eelco van Beek, UNESCO Publishing 20052Reference: M.M. Hufschmidt and K.G. Tejwani, “Integrated Water Resource Management, Meeting theSustainability Challenge”, 1993, UNESCO paperDELTARES – Integrated Water Resources Management – Issues, Concepts and Trends2users, planners and policy makers at all levels; (c) Women play a central part in theprovision, management and safeguarding of water; and (d) Water has an economic value inall its competing uses and should be recognized as an economic good.3. The Water Resources Management SystemA Water Resources System (WRS) can be considered to consist of:? The Natural Resources System (NRS), being the:? natural subsystem of rivers,lakes, their bottoms,embankments, and thegroundwater;? the infrastructure subsystem,such as canals, reservoirs,dams, weirs, sluices, wells,pumping plants and wastewater treatment plants,including operation rules forelements of this subsystem; and? the water itself, including itsphysical, chemical andbiological components in andabove the soil, often referred toas the “ABC” components:abiotic or physical, biological,and chemical.Figure A2: The Natural Resources System (global level)? The Socio Economic System (SES), the water using and water related human activities;? The Administrative and Institutional System (AIS), the system of administration,legislation and regulation including the authorities responsible for the management of theWRS and the implementation of laws and regulations.This definition of WRS covers the aspects thatare essential for natural resources management:supply, demand and control of the resources.The NRS refers to the supply side of the system(resource base), and the SES to the demand sideof the system. The control of both supply aswell as demand side of the resources isprovided by the AIS.The external natural boundaries of a WRS (i.e.of the NRS) usually consist of the water dividesof the catchment area, boundaries of thegroundwater aquifer(s) belonging to thiscatchment area and the point where the river orcanal discharges into the sea..Figure A3: The Water Resources SystemDELTARES – Integrated Water Resources Management – Issues, Concepts and Trends3The geographical boundaries of the SES and the AIS vary, depending on what part of thesocio-economic system is essential for managing and assessing the impacts of the WRS.4. Functions of the Water Resources SystemTo achieve the objectives of IWRM careful planning and management of the resources isneeded. In order to do that firstly the actual functions of the WR system should beidentified. A general framework of functions of a WRS is presented in Table A1. Theclassification distinguishes between the functions and uses which are tangible and thosewhich are not. Tangible functions may be assigned a monetary value, such as hydropowergeneration or municipal water supply. Nature conservation is a typical example ofintangible values. In between are environmental functions, some of which may be given adirect value and others indirectly, by using a shadow price or other valuation methods. Theself-purification process of a river, for example, may be assigned a shadow price bycomparing this 'work done by nature' with the costs of constructing and operating awastewater collection/treatment system. The functions in Table A1 are further explainedbelow.Table A1 Functions of the water resources systemCommercial functionsCommercial uses of the water resources are reflected in national economic accountsbecause they are marketed or otherwise given a monetary value (e.g. the price to be paid fordomestic water supplies). Fishing for the market by individuals and commercial enterprisesis an example. These uses have a commercial value and most are also consumptive innature.The connotation 'non-consumptive use' should be regarded with certain reservation. Non-consumptive water use may alter the performance of the WRS in such a way that itconstrains or increases the cost of the use by others. Hydropower generation is an exampleof a partly non-consumptive use. Reservoirs built for hydropower increase evaporationlosses and hence reduce the amount of water available for downstream users. Secondly,operation of the reservoir for the production of 'peak-power' may alter the flow regimedownstream, and this can adversely impact downstream habitats and users. Finally, waterquality problems related to reservoirs may seriously affect the ecosystems both upstreamand downstream of the reservoir.DELTARES – Integrated Water Resources Management – Issues, Concepts and Trends4Another example of partly non-consumptive use is inland water transportation. Oil andchemical pollution caused by water transport activities can adversely impact other users andaffect the ecosystem that depends upon these resources. Inland water transportation mayresult in a real consumptive demand for water. If water depths are to be maintained at acertain level for navigational purposes, releases from reservoirs may be required which is ofno value to other water users. An example is a reservoir/dam system, where during the so-called winter closure water is released from the reservoir to enable navigation (and energygeneration). This water could otherwise remain stored for (consumptive) use by either thedomestic or the agricultural sector during the dry season.Environmental functionsThe drainage basin of a river fulfills a series of functions that require no humanintervention, i.e. no need of regulatory systems. These environmental functions include theself-purification capacity of the water system and recreational and tourism uses.Environmental functions are sometimes difficult to assign a value. Their value may beassessed by using a shadow price which is calculated as the costs of providing similarfunctions in other ways (e.g. the cost of additional wastewater treatment). Recreational andtourism values may be determined by assessing the economic benefits accruing from theuse of tourist facilities like hotels, and/or the revenues from fishing licenses.Figure A4: Functions of the RiverbasinEcological valuesWater is an essential substance of life. Besides offering an environment for aquatic species,rivers, streams and lakes are often bordered by wetlands, like reed beds, floodplains andmarshes. These land-water ecozones (transition area between two adjacent ecologicalcommunities) are known to harbor a rich assemblage of species. Moreover, theirimportance for the diversity of adjacent ecological communities is significant as well.These ecological entities have a value of their own, irrespective of the actual or potentialhuman use, an intrinsic ecological value. There are many concepts and expressions thatdescribe this ecological value: 'heritage value', 'aesthetic value', 'nature value', 'optionvalue', 'existence value' etc.Environmental functions refer to the benefits of the natural environment for humans, andecological values refer to the intrinsic values of nature. In view of the increasing emphasison sustainability, this distinction is useful in water resources planning and management. Itpoints clearly at the need for the continuous care for the natural conditions of our planet andthe maintenance of an acceptable and sustainable level of environmental quality.5. Policy development for IWRMDELTARES – Integrated Water Resources Management – Issues, Concepts and Trends5Policy goal: where do we want to goStrategy: how do we want to get thereMeasure: what are we going to doScenario: external development,affecting our strategyIn planning the terms policy goal, strategy,measure and scenario are frequently used. Inpopular use they are often treated asinterchangeable words that can be confusing. Inthis report the following meanings are used.A policy goal is the identification of the needs, the prioritizing of issues and the setting oftargets for sectors or regions. A policy goal by itself does not contain specific actions; itmerely sets the targets and constraints for the actions (levels, time, and budget). Policiesalso may specify in general terms how a certain target should be achieved, for example, byapplying user-oriented demand management measures rather than relying on large-scalewater supply infrastructure development. In specifying how targets should be achieved,other policies such as with regard to foreign trade, fiscal or income tax policies orenvironmental control policies are recognized. Policies are usually considered as given forthe WRS study, but the results of the study can lead to the adaptation of new governmentpolicies.A strategy is defined as a logical combination of individual measures or decisions thatprovides a solution to the WRS problem: for example, the construction of a reservoir plusthe widening of the canal downstream and the increase of the intakes of the irrigationsystem. Together, these measures will reduce the risk of damage to the agriculture sectorfrom droughts. An alternative strategy might be to implement a less water using croppingpattern in the drought stricken area.A measure (in this respect referring to a subproject) is an individual management action ordecision. A distinction can be made between:? Technical (or structural) measures ? modifications of the water resources infrastructure:canals, pumping stations, reservoirs, fish stairs or ladders, etc. Technical measures ofteninclude managerial measures as described below;? Managerial measures – measures to improve the (daily) operation of the system such asother operation of the infrastructure (reservoirs, gates, weirs, sluices, etc.);? Ecological (non structural) measures ? measure to improve the functioning of theecosystem for example by introducing more biovariety in the system;? Economic incentives ? to induce water users to use the water resources in a socially desiredmanner by changing the price of resource use (through charges, taxes, subsidies);? Regulation measures ? to restrict uncontrolled use of the water resources (through land usezoning, permits, pollution control, and other forms of restrictive legislation);? Institutional arrangements ? specifying which governmental agencies are responsible forwhich functions of the WRS, and specifying the necessary interactions between public andprivate sectors involved.A scenario is defined as a development exogenous to the water system under consideration,i.e. developments that cannot be controlled by the decision makers involved in the system.Examples of scenario variables are climate, climate change, demographical trends andchanges and economic growth. What should be treated as a scenario and what as a(potential) measure may depend on the system boundaries that have been set. In ‘real’integrated water resources management studies restrictions on demographic and economicdevelopments could be part of the potential actions. In that case they are not scenariovariables anymore but should be treated as measures.The most common (and most confusing) deviation of above definitions is the use of theword scenario when actually a strategy is meant. Also the term policy is often used as aDELTARES – Integrated Water Resources Management – Issues, Concepts and Trends6synonym with the term strategy. Policy indicates where we want to go – what we want toaccomplish – while strategy describes how we want to get there or how we want toaccomplish it.Finally, to measure the success of a strategy or for individual subprojects indicators can beused. Basically these are measuring tools to monitor if specified targets are met, wheretargets are directly related to the objectives of a water resources development (Master)Plan. Examples of indicators are: percentage of people covered for water supply, extensionof an irrigation area, produced hydropower, improved flood safety level, etc.It should be emphasized and realizes that planning of water resources development has acontinous and revolving character, in fact planning never is finished since after theimplementation of a ‘Masterplan’ or a specific package of projects, in reality planning startsagain.6. Phases in a WRM AnalysisThe purpose of a water resources planning analysis is to inform and support decisions. Adecision process is not a simple linear sequence of steps, but involves feedbacks to earliersteps. WRM Planning or analysis studies in general take place in various phases, accordingto the socalled framework for Analysis (see Figure A5). It presents a stepwise approach forthe Inception of the problem/project, the development of scenarios, solutions and strategies,and a selection process of the most promising package of measures.Figure A5: Analytical framework for water resources planning studiesThese can be hard or soft measures, focusing at infrastructure, people’s awareness or otherkinds of mitigating measures. Communication and interaction with the decision-makers areessential throughout the process. The same applies to regular reporting and a continuousdialogue with stakeholders and decision makers.DELTARES – Integrated Water Resources Management – Issues, Concepts and Trends77. Water GovernanceWater governance refers to the range of political, social, economic and administrativesystems that are in place to develop and manage water resources, and the delivery of waterservices, at different levels of society. It contains and/or refers to the complex of politics,laws, regulations, institutions, civil society, and the water user. In recent years WaterGovernance3 has been getting a lot of attention by financing agencies and internationalbodies like GWP, UNDP etc., as it is understood that the administrative and institutionalsetting in general plays an important role in the success or failure of water resourcesprojects. Similarly the role of the public is important and the attitude of people is oftenrelated to the level of ‘good governance’, or at least their perception of being taken care ofand protected, and the will of the government to pay attention to their needs. This alsorelates to the stakeholder interests and participatory approach to decisionmaking that hasbeen accepted and actually prescribed by most of the large financing institutions that investin Water and Environment in developing countries.8. Concepts and models of water governanceThere are naturally various forms of administration and management of the water resourcesin all the different countries in the world. In general, however, they share the problem offragmentation of responsibilities in the watersector, since in many countries there may be 5to 10 different ministries that represent one specific subsector with one specific interest andtasks related to such. For instance, in almost all countries there is in some form a Ministryof Water Resources (responsibilities for water conservation, distribution, etc), Ministry ofEnvironment and Natural Resources (water quality), Communication (navigation, watertransport), Urban Construction (water supply and sanitation), Electricity (hydropower),Agriculture (irrigation), Planning (spatialplanning, landuse), Industry (industrial water useand wastewater), etc. The naming may be different from one to another country, but itbasically results in a need for good coordination and cooperation to integrate all thedifferent interests and trade off between investments to be made and interests to beprotected.9. Good Basin ManagementAny governmental or (semi)private entity dealing with a public service like water supply orirrigation, and involved in implementation of subprojects for such purpose will besusceptible to principles of ‘Good Governance’ or in this case to a number of basicrequirements and/or characteristics for socalled ‘Good basin management’. Extensivestudies have been dedicated to this concept and into sound water resources management,and many reports and papers on the subject have been produced and presented in journalsand at conferences.Several indicators for ‘good River Basin management’ have been identified in the variousstudies, reports and papers, but they may vary for different locations in the world,depending on the type of climate, geography, land-use, type of economic activities, politicalsystem, etc.3 Reference: Global Water Partnership, “Effective Water Governance, learning from the Dialogues”,document prepared for 3rd World Water Forum, Kyoto, 2003DELTARES – Integrated Water Resources Management – Issues, Concepts and Trends8It should be stated firstly thatindicators as used here are notspecifically related to a any form ofRiver Basin Management by certaininstitutions or corporate bodies in abasin. The general indicators are usedto express the status of IWRM,independent of any specific form ortype of organization. It should berealized, however, that theyspecifically refer to organizationswith public functions such as WaterSupply, Flood Control, Water QualityManagement, or Soil & WaterConservation. Any potentially(semi)commercial activities such asWater Supply or WastewaterCollection/Treatment that mightgenerate income from selling serviceson a self financing/self supportingbasis, might be split off as separatecorporate units or even be privatized.Figure A6: Stakeholders at work.Some overall principles that apply to public organizations in general, including RiverBasin, WRM, or Water Supply organisations, that were introduced by policy analysts anddevelopers in the last decade and have received broad support among donors, aretransparency, accountability, subsidiarity, and ownership. Transparency speaks for itself,organisations should be open and transparent, have no hidden agendas or budgets, and beopen for control and auditing by external parties, be it government or stakeholders.Accountability means that stakeholders or other external parties like NGOs can hold theWRM, RBO body or WS company ‘accountable’, or in other words responsible for all itsactions that may influence the performance of the watersystem or the services. Subsidiarityis the principle that decisions and responsibilities should be laid at the lowest possible level,for instance the direct stakeholders, as represented by sector organizations or NGOs.Finally, ownership is an issue that an organization can not just implement by itself as it is apsychological condition that can only be developed by and amongst the stakeholdersthemselves. Nevertheless, each organization should do its utmost to assist the stakeholdersto develop such ownership, by organizing public awareness&information campaigns,applying and supporting the subsidiarity principle, by accepting the role of the stakeholders,and enabling participatory planning and decision making.10. Integration and coordinationAlthough the concept of Water Resources Management and its principles have beentouched upon and explained above, the special meaning of the ‘Integrated approach’ and itsrepercussions have not been specified yet. The term Integration means that for thedevelopment and management of the Water Resources System all potential functionsshould be taken into account. This means that the interest of all potential (sub)sectorsmaking use of the Water Resources System should be taken into account, and that forinstance in case of a shortage of resources an intersectoral trade-off analysis should beexecuted in order to achieve an optimal use of the water resources. It will be clear that forsome specific functions priorities can be set that differ from other functions. For instance,DELTARES – Integrated Water Resources Management – Issues, Concepts and Trends9drinking water supply in many countries has the highest priority, since it is of highimportance regarding people’s health and survival. Moreover, it generally is a relative smalldemand if compared to irrigation water supply, and/or industrial water use.The frequently used term coordination refers to an existing mechanism for contacts andcooperation between the various parties, administrative entities, and stakeholders regardingthe development, use and management of the water system. In general a difference is madebetween horizontal and vertical coordination. Horizontal coordination refers to theintersectoral contacts and cooperation regarding the use of water as a resource and/or thewater resources system as a receptor. This essentially is an indicator of the level ofintegration in a horizontal sense, i.e. between the different sectors making use of the waterand/or the water body, for instance domestic water supply, the agricultural/irrigationsubsector, hydropower, industry (water supply and wastewater discharge), inland watertransport, the environment, sanitation, tourism and recreation, etc. Vertical coordinationrefers to contacts and cooperation between the various levels of administration: national,provincial, municipality, city, prefecture, county, district and township. It also refers forinstance to cooperation between provinces that share a certain river basin or sub-basin, tolook at inter-provincial issues, up- and downstream effects, etc. In some cases this may bedone via an existing riverbasin commission or a sub-basin organization.11. Multi-objective analysis for Integrated Water Resources Management The concept of multicriteria- or multiobjective analysis is a well recognized concept inIWRM to assist identification of all potential effects and impacts of planned projects, andwill contribute in taking the right decisions about investments and project implementation.Thus in overall IWRM projects water shortage or water use is one of various importantparameters for decisionmaking regarding investments on for instance water supply worksand may influence project options in other subsectors, particularly if capital is scarce. Butin reverse, water supply projects/measures should take into account the interest of andimpacts on for instance water quality, health, overall environmental issues, flooding, urbanand/or rural planning, economic use of the water system (water supply, irrigation, industry,shipping), public acceptance, etc. This has led to the IWRM concept now being applied inmany countries in the Western world, but also in current river basin projects in thedeveloping countries.12. Public consultation and stakeholder participationAs mentioned before public consultation and stakeholder participation in decision makingare important issues for many of the international financing agencies, as well as for bilateralaid projects in the countries in development. Specifically in South-East Asia and variouscountries in Africa there is a tradition in that repect. Many projects have failed in the pastdue to the fact that insufficient attention was paid to the intrests of the local people thatwere supposed to be using and benfitiing from these projects. Various forms of and variouslevels of public consultation and participation are now existing, from absolut ignorance viafull ownership and even empowerment.Empowerment people have mandate to actOwnership people feel involved/committedParticipation people are fully participating (two way)Consultation people are consulted (one way up)Informed people are informed (one way down)Awareness people know that something is happeningIgnorance people do not know what is happeningFigure A7: The scale of seven levels of stakeholders/public involvement