Module 2: Water Resources Management Functions at the River Basin Scale
Learning Objectives
• Learn the main basic functions for water resources management which need to be performed at the river basin scale to implement IWRM.
• Discuss institutional arrangements and introduce a process-thinking to conduct the water resources management functions.
• Appreciate that it takes time to fully perform water resource management functions and that the goals have to be set in relation to what can realistically be met.
1. Introduction
Most countries try to decentralise water resources management by delegating responsibility and resources. The reason is that local organisations and communities have better knowledge of the water and socio-economic situation and also are the most affected by decisions taken on how to manage the resource. Centralised national or regional governments have difficulties to allocate and regulate water in a river basin as they are unaware of local interests and priorities. Government should, however, provide the rules and establish a framework for the water management in a river basin (GWP, 2003).
The boundaries for a river basin provide a natural unit for water resources management. A river basin is a closed region where water management directly affects the inhabitants and other stakeholders of the basin. Although, the river basin may cover different administrative units there are thus incentives for these units to cooperate. A basin society with local know-how and with representatives of all stakeholders, including governmental bodies, is thus the ideal governing institution for
de-centralised water resources management.
Water resources management is one part of the overall management of the environment and the preservation of ecosystems, which is a prerequisite for sustainable development. Water resources management therefore needs to be coordinated with other disciplines and sectors that affect the water resources or are affected by how well the water is managed.
On the river basin scale there are thus many actors that have roles and responsibilities for management of the environment and society, which are all linked to the status of the water resources. For successful implementation of IWRM all these actors have to be involved.
It is therefore logical that IWRM on the river basin scale should be focussed on a set of basic water resources management functions. This module thus includes a description of the basic water resources management functions (Section 2) and introduces water management objectives as a way for performing these functions (Section 3). These functions and water management objectives are further elaborated in Modules 4-11. This module further discusses the institutional arrangements options that exist for conducting the functions