Synthesis: IWRM lessons for implementation

Abstract

This paper provides a synthesis of the main issues discussed at a conference (International Conference on Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) entitled: Lessons from Implementation in Developing Countries which took place from 10 to 12 March 2008 in Cape Town, South Africa, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre) which was coordinated to share experiences and lessons learned on the implementation of IWRM in developing countries. This paper discusses six themes that emerged from the conference. These themes provide a perspective on the current status of IWRM and assist in formulating the agenda for further research and implementation approaches based on lessons learned. Firstly, although there is considerable history and international acceptance of IWRM, there is still ongoing debate on how IWRM is defined. However, aside from these debates there is general agreement on the principles underlying IWRM and the potential it holds for managing complex systems that cannot be adequately achieved through the single-sector management approach of the past. To overcome past management paradigms, new capacity building approaches are required. Secondly, implementation of IWRM requires a balance between policy and institutional support and community level projects that have small-scale tangible results for the poor. Thirdly, IWRM involves integration across many spheres, specifically the integration of groundwater management into long-term water resource planning. Fourthly, although there is general endorsement of the importance of public engagement in supporting IWRM approaches, effective public engagement requires considerable strategic planning to ensure that efforts are both applicable and relevant to those involved. Fifthly, the conference highlighted the importance of developing appropriate economic methods and instruments to address the economic trade-offs and decisions that are apparent in water management. Finally, appropriate data, information systems and indicators are required to adequately monitor progress with IWRM implementation.

Assessment and Evaluation of IWRM Implementation in Palawan, Philippines

“…The definition of IWRM has gained widespread acceptance as the preferred method of water management in both rich and poor countries [27]. IWRM is a mechanism that facilitates the organized production and management of water, land, and related services in order to optimize the resulting economic and social welfare in an egalitarian manner while protecting essential habitats [28].…”

Ensuring access to water for food production by emerging farmers in South Africa: What are the missing ingredients?

“…There are also other related studies that have sought to unravel the intricacies of the new water governance regime emerging from the water reform process and how it affects access to water. These studies tend to place special attention on the appropriateness of the new water legislation promulgated in 1998 and how it may enable catchment management agencies to contribute to better water management under the new dispensation (see Anderson et al, 2008;Van Koppen, 2008;Movik, 2009Movik, , 2014Swatuk, 2010;Msibi et al, 2011;Schreiner and Hassan, 2011;Woodhouse, 2012;Thiam et al, 2015). There are indications that even after almost two decades of water reform implementation, access to water remains highly skewed along racial lines, and the envisaged massive socio-economic transformation of rural communities and landscapes has remained a pipe-dream (Kemerink et al, 2011).…”

“…The main thrust of the South African National Water Act (1998) was to redress water allocation inequities in a way that enables all racial groups to access and use water for productive purposes (Goldin, 2010). One of the instruments used to try to redress these inequities was the redistribution of formal water use rights, primarily through the process of compulsory licensing (Anderson et al, 2008;Movik, 2014). Essentially this required all current and future water users for productive purposes to apply for a water license, particularly in river basins and catchments that are already over-allocated or facing water scarcity.…”

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“…Integrated water resource management (IWRM) is not an end in it itself but a means to achieve the objectives of efficiency, equity and environmental sustainability in water resource management. Anderson et al (2008) outlined some of the difficulties in defining and using the term IWRM but it is generally agreed that IWRM supports a flexible and adaptable process, promoting the 'coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources in order to maximise the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital eco-systems' (Global Water Partnership, 2003). If an IWRM approach reflects a process and not an outcome, it is important to develop a means of monitoring how effective certain water resource management decisions are in achieving the desired outcomes of efficiently managed, equitably allocated and environmentally sustainable water resources.…”