Introduction to IWRM

Dr(Eng)S S Sivakumar 1
 Local, Regional, National, Fluvial, Global
Ancient
Community

1200 A.D. Basic management

of water quantity
Sectoral management
1900 of water quantity and quality
institutional fragmentation
spatial fragmentation
local co-ordination
1990s Integrated multifunctional use
river basin as unit
institutionalised cooperation

Future Multi-level Comprehensive Governance

Dr(Eng)S S Sivakumar 2
Before we start….

 The basis of IWRM is that different uses of water are

interdependent

 Integrated management means that all the different uses of

water resources are considered together

Dr(Eng)S S Sivakumar 3
Dr(Eng)S S Sivakumar 4

WATER CYCLE
Driving forces on water
resources
 Population growth: demands for more water and producing more
waste water and pollution
 Urbanization: migration from rural to urban areas which increases
the current level of difficulty in water delivery and waste water
treatment
 Economic growth: mainly in developing countries with large
populations contributes to increased demand for economic
activities
 Globalization of trade: production is relocated to “labor-cheap”
areas that takes place without consideration for water resources

 Climate variability: more intense floods and droughts increase

vulnerability of people
 Climate change: increase uncertainty about water cycle regimes

Dr(Eng)S S Sivakumar 5
IWRM concept is

 an empirical concept which is built up from the on-the-

ground experience of practitioners,
 a flexible approach to water management that can adapt
to diverse national and local contexts,
 thus
 it is not a scientific theory that needs to be proved or
disproved by scholars.

 and (but)
 it requires policy-makers to make judgments about which
reforms and measures, management tools and institutional
arrangements are most appropriate in a particular
cultural, social, political, economic and environmental
context.

Dr(Eng)S S Sivakumar 6
IWRM definition

IWRM is a process which promotes the

coordinated development and
management of water, land and related
resources, in order to maximize the
resultant economic and social welfare in
an equitable manner without
compromising the sustainability of vital
ecosystems.

GWP, TAC Background Paper No. 4:

Integrated Water Resources Management
Dr(Eng)S S Sivakumar 7
IWRM:
What does it really mean?
 More coordinated development and management of:

 Land and water

 Surface water and ground water
 Upstream and downstream interests

Discussion questions:
Who should propose measures to protect against floods?
Who should bear a cost to implement measures to mitigate
floods?

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Key water resources management functions

 Water allocation
 Pollution control
 Monitoring
 Financial management
IWRM
 Flood and drought management
 Information management
 Basin planning
 Stakeholder participation

Dr(Eng)S S Sivakumar 9
Manage water resources within
a basin

 What about international basins?

 What about large distances within a basin (with
disparate communities and institutions)?
 How to manage a basin that has no monitoring network?
 How to manage a basin where water supply and demand
fluctuate both intra-seasonally and inter-annually?
 How to manage a basin where authorities have a little
access to financial, transport and technological
capabilities?

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Three pillars of IWRM

 Implementing IWRM process is a question of getting

the “three pillars” right:

1. Moving towards enabling environment of appropriate

policies, strategies and legislation

2. Putting in place the institutional framework (through

which policies can be implemented)

3. Setting up the management instruments required by

these institutions to do their job
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 CHANGE AREAS

CHANGES ARE MADE TO SEEK

Economic Environmental
Social Equity
Efficiency Sustainability

TO REACH
SUSTAINABILITY

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 Managing competing uses

Cross-sectoral integration

• Enabling
environment
Water for Water for Water for Water for
• Institutions people food nature other
• Management uses
instruments

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Integrating across levels and sectors

Energy
National Fisheries Agriculture

Basin Envir Water

onme Finance
nt
Local Tourism Industry

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IWRM PRINCIPLES

 Fresh water is a finite and vulnerable resource,

essential to sustain life, development and the
environment.
 Water development and management should be
based on a participatory approach, involving
users, planners and policymakers at all levels.
 Women play a central part in the provision,
management and safe-guarding of water.
 Water has an economic value in all its competing
uses and should be recognized as an economic
good as well as social good. Dublin, 1992
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IWRM Principles

 Fresh water is a finite and vulnerable resource,

essential to sustain life, development and the
environment.

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Respecting the basin

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IWRM Principles
 Water development and management should be
based on a participatory approach, involving
users, planners and policymakers at all levels.

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Difficult to ensure “active involvement”

50 decision
200 work
2 000 participation
200 000 information
2 500 000 population

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Pitfalls in putting IWRM into practice
Trying to establish management relations between too many
variables risks getting mired in complexity at the expense of
effectiveness.

When putting IWRM into

practice it’s important to
think strategically about
where and to what degree
coordination and new
management instruments
are necessary.

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IWRM Principles

 Women play a central part

in the provision,
management and safe-
guarding of water

Dr(Eng)S S Sivakumar 21
 Source: The Economist

IWRM Principles

 Water has an economic value in all its competing uses and should be
recognized as an economic good as well as social good

 Water is becoming scarcer and its value rising

 Recognition that costs should be borne by those22who benefit
Dr(Eng)S S Sivakumar
Arguments for treating water as an Arguments for treating water as a
economic good: human right:
 Market-based approach will ensure  Ensures water for all
that people are better stewards of
water resources  Helps set priorities of water policy
 Encourages conservation  Focuses attention on resolving
 Improves quality water conflict
 Helps allocate water to maximize  Helps safeguard other human rights
benefits

Dr(Eng)S S Sivakumar 23
Why IWRM?

 Globally accepted and makes good sense.

 Key element in national water policy.
 Incorporates social and environmental considerations directly into policy and
decision making.
 Directly involves the stakeholders.
 Is a tool for optimizing investments under tight financing climate.

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Traditional
versus IWRM
approaches

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…in order to understand better “integrated”
approach…
 Traditional approach
• Integrated approach
 One sector
– Multi sectors
 Limited institutions involved
– Various institutions involved
 Decision making at one sector
– “collective” decision making

 Specific issues addressed

– Complex issues addressed

 Specific interests solved – Overriding interests solved

 Sectoral allocation of funds – National allocation of funds

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 In order to understand better
“integrated” approach
Traditional approach: Integrated approach:
• Hydrological/hydraulic • How will new investment be
– What is expected yield of the agreed upon?
catchment? • How can local management
• Engineering structures balance competing
uses?
– How much water leaks from
• How will stakeholders negotiate
the system?
water rights in different conditions
– How can leakage be reduced? of water availability (scarcity)?
• Management • How will consumers respond to
– What is the economic level of periodic water shortages or to
leakage? increasing environmental
concerns?
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 Lessons learnt

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Risks of fully sectoral approach

 Overlooking negative impacts on

environment and other sectors
 Inefficient use of resources—natural
and financial

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Risks of fully integrated
approach
Getting mired in complexity.
Not making good use of
specialist expertise.

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Finding a balance

Each country needs

to decide where
integration makes
sense based on its
Integrate Sectoral
d
social, political and approac
approach hydrological h
situation.

Dr(Eng)S S Sivakumar 31
 The nature of IWRM: Lessons from IWRM
in practice
How water is developed and managed must reflect country
priorities (including environmental standards) and governance
approaches.

Water management will not be

successful if it is set up as a
stand-alone system of
governance and administration,
separate to the rest of
government.

Dr(Eng)S S Sivakumar 32
 Examples: IWRM is linked to
key development issues
Key development issue How IWRM helps Example
Securing food production Assists the efficient production of FAO round table (2003, Rome)
food crops in irrigated agreed that all African
agriculture countries should improve
efficiency in irrigated
agriculture for food
production by adopting
IWRM approach
Reducing health risks Better management of water UNECE Protocol on Water and
quality Health (2007) requires to set
health targets. Progress
towards IWRM has been
chosen as an indicator for
improved water management

Freshwater and coastal water IWRM recognizes freshwater and Integrated Coastal Area and River
coastal zone as a continuum Basin Management (ICARM)
is endorsed by GWP as a basic
concept for the GEF projects
portfolio
Key development issue How IWRM helps Example

Mitigating disaster risks Assists disaster WMO adopted IFM

preparedness approach within the
framework of IWRM in
2000

Planning transboundary Assists water management ECOWAS adopted the West

cooperation of shared basins African Regional Action
Plan for IWRM in 2000.
The IWRM is a
framework for
transboundary Niger,
Volta and Senegal rivers

Adapting to climate change Assist appropriate planning IPCC emphasizes IWRM

of water use with better approach that is based
resilience on the concepts of
flexibility and
adaptability
Summary about IWRM: what we have
learnt

 IWRM is linked to sustainable development

 IWRM is not a one-size-fits-all prescription and cannot
be applied as a checklist of actions
 IWRM is not a prescription but an iterative process and
an adaptive approach
 IWRM implementation must reflect country priorities
 Water management will not be successful if it is set up
as a stand-alone system of governance

 IWRM includes both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ components

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Lessons from IWRM in practice
IWRM is a means not an end. None of the successful case studies
analysed set out to achieve IWRM. Rather they set out to solve
particular water-related problems or achieve development goals by
looking at water holistically within larger physical and development
contexts.
Equity
Sustainability
Efficiency
IWRM

Dr(Eng)S S Sivakumar
Thank You 36