The management of water resources is important to the existence and survival of life on earth.

Therefore, it is a global issue that requires concerted global effort. This research appraises and analyzed
various policies, laws and regulations that has been put in place to manage and govern various water
resources in the world. A specific case study of Juba Town the capital city of South Sudan was critically
examined. Water resource management for sustainable development in Juba Town was studied. Future
of Water Resources in the case study, the Nile Basin and tentacled hydrology, the Sudd wetland and
climate, Sustainable Water Harvesting Projects for Livestock in South Sudan, Water information system
and management and Government’s Policy and Strategy Framework were all reviewed.
Recommendations were made suggesting the government of South Sudan to advance the
environmental health related setup to reduce the spread of water borne diseases which will be
worsened by climate change as the quality of water depreciates impacting negatively on its availability
for sustainable development in the country. The paper concludes that: The growing uncertainty of
surface water accessibility and increasing levels of water contamination and water diversions threaten
to upset social and economic development in the country as well as the health of ecosystems.
Groundwater resources can, in many cases, complement surface water, mainly as a source of drinking
water. However, in many cases, these reservoirs are being tapped at an unsustainable rate or affected
by pollution. More attention should be paid to sustainable management of non-renewable groundwater.

Introduction to water resources management

Water Resources Management is an international, multidisciplinary forum for the publication of original
contributions and the exchange of knowledge and experience on the management of water resources.
In particular, the journal publishes contributions on water resources assessment, development,
conservation and control, emphasizing policies and strategies. Contributions examine planning and
design of water resource systems, and

operation, maintenance and administration of water resource systems.

Coverage extends to these closely related topics: water demand and consumption; applied surface and
groundwater hydrology; water management techniques; simulation and modelling of water resource
systems; forecasting and control of quantity and quality of water; economic and social aspects of water
use; legislation and water resources protection.

Water Resources Management is supported scientifically by the European Water Resources Association,
a scientific and technical nonprofit-making European association.

Peer review is conducted using Editorial Manager®, supported by a database of international experts.
This database is shared with the journal, Environmental Processes.

2. Problem statement
In general, water issue has economic, environmental and social impact. The water challenges of the
island are mainly related to the water supply system, the sewage system, natural disasters
(floods+shortage), the wastewater and the amount of consumed water.

Firstly, although, the pipeline system seems an effective solution, there are several drawbacks that
accompany water pipelines. Firstly, this kind of water supply makes the island water depended from the
mainland, since there is a “water connection” between the two of them. Moreover, the pipeline system
by itself presents a series of disadvantages. For instance, the actual construction but also maintenance
of a major water pipeline is extremely expensive. With manufacturing, labor, installation and
maintenance, pipeline projects can cost billions of dollars. Because in this project we have to deal with
an existing situation, the attention is given to the maintenance, which must be done every day in order
to keep the pipeline working effectively. Pipelines need to be monitored continually and water quality
must be constantly checked. Furthermore the pipes can disrupt ecosystems, ruin scenery, and act as an
obstruction. Underground pipelines require huge trenches to be dug, also disrupting the land.

In conclusion, pipelines from the mainland (as a recent solution in order to ensure independence from
the mainland) are only temporary solutions to the problem. They are too expensive for future use due to
high tariffs and you cannot count on safety. [4]

A brief research on the societal water demands on Texel has shown extreme weather caused floods and
water shortages on the island in the past years. More specifically, last August heavy rains caused floods
on several parts of Texel. On the second part of august 25 to 30 mm of rain has fallen. Despite the
installed rain drainage system about 50 cm of water covered the Vliestraat in Oosterend. Other parts of
Texel, such as De Cocksdork and Den Burg also experienced flooded streets, hotels and tourists housing.
[5]

On the other hand Texel experienced a water shortage in July 2013 when a heat wave hit the
Netherlands. A leakage of the pipeline system between the island and the shore reduced the available
water capacity and trucks transporting water were used to fulfill the rising demands. Since the pipeline
lies at a depth of approximately 25 meters and divers can only work on it in between tides it took nearly
4 months to repair the leak. [2]
These two incidents may be experienced more often as the weather in the Netherlands is becoming
more and more extreme.

In addition, as the amount of visiting tourists is increasing, yearly water demand on Texel is likely to
increase even more. A bigger capacity of both the drainage system and the water supply system would
be needed in order to fulfill the future demands.

The last challenge is the amount of wastewater. Nowadays, there are no actions on the island regarding
the reuse and recycle of wastewater and as a result, all the amount of water that falls on the surface of
the island is challenged in the sewage system as wastewater.

resources, the water authority has primary responsibility for managing these sources.

General objectives:

Organization and management of the water and sanitation sector in Palestine, ensuring secure water
rights and equitable distribution among all the different sectors.

Ensure optimal and effective ways to manage all available water in Palestine and sustainable
development, in order to achieve a balance between quantity and quality of water available and the
needs of the Palestinian people in the present and the future.

Achieving optimal use of water resources by developing water services to ensure water and food
security and economic development of the Palestinian State.

Sub- objectives:

Consolidating and strengthening the institutional structure of the water sector and work to build
national and regional water facilities to develop water services.

Achieve a qualified staff in the water and sanitation sector with high professional qualifications, is
working on raising the efficiency of the work of the private sector in line with the specifications and
standards required.

Develop and ensure the quality of engineering art specifications for water and sanitation projects to
come up with a robust infrastructure serve as long as possible at the lowest cost.

Provide an appropriate environment and sustainable development of water resources that guarantee
water supply for the Palestinian citizen adequate quality and sufficient quantity and price.
Confirm no override in exploiting water sources than its headquarters and shape that ensures
sustainability and not draining and pollution, and the service provided to citizens is within criteria.

Check the availability of water sources to ensure its sustenance, and work to ensure water quality in line
with the general standards.

Integrated water resources management and water sector planning and development national plan of
action commensurate with the available water sources and coordination with all partners

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Water Resource Management: our essential guide to water resource management objectives, policy &
strategies

Tuesday, 1 August 2023

Table of contents

What is water resource management?

Objectives of water resource management

Water resource management policy

Hydrology and water resources management

Water resource management strategies: 3 case studies

Our essential guide to Water Resource Management. Climate change and human activity mean we are
facing a challenging task in an unpredictable environment.

Intergrated water resource managment

Image credit: American Press Association

Today's water management differs significantly from the past, presenting a more formidable challenge
in an increasingly unpredictable environment. Private and public stakeholders must collaborate to
collectively manage the water cycle. Water resources management facilitates effective oversight of
water resources across uses, disciplines, and boundaries. The upcoming article covers everything about
water resources management, including its meaning, objectives, policy drafting, and more.

What is water resource management?

Water Resources Management (WRM): Where teamwork makes the dream work IWA

The UN defines Water Resources Management (WRM) and Integrated Water Resources Management
(IWRM) as empirical concepts derived from practitioners' on-the-ground experience. While elements of
the concept have existed since the 1977 global water conference in Mar del Plata, it gained extensive
attention and discussion after Agenda 21 and the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Rio in
1992.

IWA Water resource management

Image credit: International Water Association

These principles were later summarized by GWP:

“Integrated water resources management is based on the equitable and efficient management and
sustainable use of water and recognises that water is an integral part of the ecosystem, a natural
resource, and a social and economic good, whose quantity and quality determine the nature of its
utilisation.”

Meanwhile the World Bank defines WRM as the “process of planning, developing, and managing water
resources, in terms of both water quantity and quality, across all water uses”. It includes the institutions,
infrastructure, incentives, and information systems that support and guide water management.

Water resources management, as highlighted by the World Bank, aims to optimize the advantages of
water by guaranteeing an ample supply of quality water. This is essential for various purposes such as
drinking water and sanitation services, food production, energy generation, inland water transport, and
water-based recreation. Simultaneously, it endeavours to support the health of water-dependent
ecosystems and safeguard the aesthetic and spiritual values associated with lakes, rivers, and estuaries.

Water resource management also entails managing water-related risks, including floods, drought, and
contamination. The complexity of relationships between water and households, economies, and
ecosystems, requires integrated management that accounts for the synergies and tradeoffs of water's
great number of uses and values.

One of the goals of water resource management is water security. It is not possible to ‘predict and plan’
a single path to water security for rapidly growing and urbanizing global populations. This is due to
climatic and non-climatic uncertainties. To help strengthen water security, there is a need to build
capacity, adaptability and resilience for the future planning and management of water resources.

According to the World Bank, achieving water security in the context of growing water scarcity, greater
unpredictability, degrading water quality and aquatic ecosystems, and more frequent droughts and
floods, will require a more integrated and longer-term approach to water management. This is in
essence what water resource management is about: bringing together multiple organisations, across
different disciplines, to plan for future water usage holistically.

Water security

Image credit: UN Water

Specific Objectives
Water resource management objectives can vary depending on the region, current water conditions,
and policy implementations. Common goals include promoting environmentally sustainable,
economically efficient, and equitably allocated use of water resources. Additionally, objectives often aim
to enhance benefits and mitigate risks associated with existing hydraulic infrastructure.

In these projects, a consistent objective is to integrate the policy approach into broader sectoral policies
across the country, involving the development of social, technical, and administrative water resource
management tools.

The Global Water Partnership (GWP) emphasizes an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
approach based on three pillars:

Establishing an enabling environment with suitable policies, strategies, and legislation for sustainable
water resources development and management.

Putting in place the institutional framework to implement these policies, strategies, and legislation.

Establishing the necessary management instruments for these institutions to effectively carry out their
responsibilities.

Water resource management policy

When it comes to drafting water resource management policy, it's important to have a clear
understanding of what policy is and is not. Not to be confused with implementing strategies, policy is a
set of decisions, made at the highest political level in a country following dialogue and consultation. The
result will then shape and determine how things will be done in any given sector.
IWRM policy

Image credit: The Open University

Within water resource management, a key component is not only the policy, but a process or plan on
how to implement such a policy. Furthermore, policy should not be confused with legislation. After a
policy has been adopted, legislation needs to be examined to see where amendments and changes are
needed.

According to the OECD, water outcomes are often influenced by policies outside the water domain. As a
result, increasing unity between water policies and other sectoral policies is a key component of an
integrated approach to water resources management.

Furthermore, there is no one size fits all approach, nor one correct administrative model.

The GWP said: “The art of IWRM lies in selecting, adjusting, and applying the right mix of tools for a
given situation. Agreeing on milestones and timeframes is critical for success. The implementation may
take place on a step-by-step basis, in terms of geographical scope and the sequence and timing of
reforms. Scope, timing, and content of measures can be adjusted according to experience. In developing
a strategy and framework for change, it is important to recognize that the process of change is unlikely
to be rapid.”

For policy-making and planning, in order to obtain an integrated approach it’s important that water
development and management takes into account the various uses of water and the range of people’s
water needs, including:

Stakeholders are given a voice in water planning and management, with particular attention to securing
the involvement of women and the poor;

Policies and priorities consider water resources implications, including the two-way relationship
between macroeconomic policies and water development, management, and use;
Water-related decisions made at local and basin levels are along the lines of, or at least do not conflict
with, the achievement of broader national objectives; and

Water planning and strategies are incorporated into broader social, economic, and environmental goals.

GWP added: “Putting sustainable and integrated management of water resources into practice must be
anchored at all levels with the highest political commitment.”

Hydrology and water resources management

Hydrology is the study of the global water cycle and the physical, chemical, and biological processes
involved in the different reservoirs and fluxes of water within this cycle. In general, hydrologists focus on
terrestrial water, while recognizing that the global hydrological cycle includes exchanges of water
between the land surface, ocean, atmosphere, and subsurface.

Global hydrology water management

Image credit: Science

Meanwhile, water in the oceans and atmosphere is mainly the concern of oceanographers and
meteorologists. Many hydrologists work at the interface between land surface water and the
atmosphere, studying precipitation and evapotranspiration processes in the field of hydrometeorology.

Water resource management, as outlined by S.J. Marshall in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences,
encompasses various hydrological disciplines, addressing the global water cycle, surface and
groundwater, water chemistry, pollution, and aquatic biology.

Post-treatment, water supplies cater to diverse needs in industrial, municipal, agricultural, and
ecological sectors. The intricate balancing act involves stakeholders, water policy, legal experts, and
hydrologists who contribute to complex deliberations and negotiations. Applied hydrology plays a
central role in engineering major waterworks, shaping civilization's water distribution systems from
ancient Babylon to modern hydroelectric dams, reservoirs, and treatment facilities.

These tools aid governments in managing water resources to meet societal and ecological needs.
Marshall emphasizes water resource management's global challenges, including competition for limited
resources, regional disparities, growing water demand, aquifer depletion, and climate-change-induced
stress. Addressing these challenges requires innovative and sustainable approaches, fostering
international cooperation in the coming decades.