Managing water resources for sustainable development: the case of integrated river basin management in China

2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 499-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Song ◽  
W. Ravesteijn ◽  
B. Frostell ◽  
R. Wennersten
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
River Basin Management ◽  
Modern China ◽  
Basin Management ◽  
Institutional Reforms ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Huai River ◽  
Integrated River Basin Management

The emerging water crisis in China shows that the current institutional frameworks and policies with regard to water resources management are incapable of achieving an effective and satisfactory situation that includes Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM). This paper analyses this framework and related policies, examines their deficiencies in relation to all water stress problems and explores alternatives focusing on river basins. Water resources management reforms in modern China are reviewed and the main problems involved in transforming the current river management system into an IRBM-based system are analysed. The Huai River basin is used as an example of current river basin management, with quantitative data serving to show the scale and scope of the problems in the country as a whole. The institutional reforms required are discussed and a conceptual institutional framework is proposed to facilitate the implementation of IRBM in China. In particular, the roles, power and responsibilities of River Basin Commissions (RBCs) should be legally strengthened; the functions of supervising, decision-making and execution should be separated; and cross-sectoral legislation, institutional coordination and public participation at all levels should be promoted.

scholarly journals SYSTEM DYNAMICS APPROACH FOR EVALUATING EXISTING AND FUTURE WATER ALLOCATION PLANNING AMONG CONFLICTING USERS

2020 ◽  
Vol XLIV-4/W3-2020 ◽  
pp. 45-51
Author(s):  
O. T. Amoo ◽  
M. D. V. Nakin ◽  
A. Abayomi ◽  
H. O. Ojugbele ◽  
A. W. Salami
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Allocation ◽  
River Basin Management ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Basin Management ◽  
Integrated River Basin Management ◽  
Current Water

Abstract. Water shortages are a chronic and severe problem in South Africa. Allocation of this limited water resources, environmental quality, and policies for sustainable water use are issues of increasing concern that require accurate and timely information to evolve strategies for dynamic natural resources management. Specifically, this paper is aimed to assist the planning, restoring and to rationally allocate the water resources in any river basin in resolving the current water stresses in many parts of South Africa, by using integrated knowledge from simulation and integrated river basin management approach. The developed system dynamic (SD) allocation system was used to investigates the extent to which the framework is ‘sustainable’ in the medium and long terms in evaluating existing and future water allocation among conflicting users at Mkomazi River Basin (MRB), KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa The invented SD framework confirms agricultural water use as the highest demand when compared with other users. The optimal sustainability performance index (0.25) of the system at 70% dependable flow shows an integrated scenario that combines rainfall variation with improved irrigation water use efficiency as a suitable framework plan. The study uses integrated knowledge from simulation and integrated river basin management approach as a feasible method to assist the planning, restoring and to rationally allocate the water resources in any river basin with similar attributes to the study area in resolving the current water stresses in many parts of the country. Water resources managers would find these tools beneficial in understanding the complex nature of water resources allocation and in determining priorities area which required prompt attention and intervention.

Room for the River: delivering integrated river basin management in the Netherlands

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 369-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeroen Rijke ◽  
Sebastiaan van Herk ◽  
Chris Zevenbergen ◽  
Richard Ashley
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
River Basin ◽  
River Basin Management ◽  
Basin Management ◽  
Integrated River Basin Management

scholarly journals Scaling issues in multi-criteria evaluation of combinations of measures for integrated river basin management

2016 ◽  
Vol 373 ◽  
pp. 19-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörg Dietrich
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Cost Efficiency ◽  
River Basin Management ◽  
Basin Management ◽  
Ecological Benefit ◽  
Multi Criteria Evaluation ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
Joint Research Project ◽  
Integrated River Basin Management ◽  
Ecological Continuity

Abstract. In integrated river basin management, measures for reaching the environmental objectives can be evaluated at different scales, and according to multiple criteria of different nature (e.g. ecological, economic, social). Decision makers, including responsible authorities and stakeholders, follow different interests regarding criteria and scales. With a bottom up approach, the multi criteria assessment could produce a different outcome than with a top down approach. The first assigns more power to the local community, which is a common principle of IWRM. On the other hand, the development of an overall catchment strategy could potentially make use of synergetic effects of the measures, which fulfils the cost efficiency requirement at the basin scale but compromises local interests. Within a joint research project for the 5500 km2 Werra river basin in central Germany, measures have been planned to reach environmental objectives of the European Water Framework directive (WFD) regarding ecological continuity and nutrient loads. The main criteria for the evaluation of the measures were costs of implementation, reduction of nutrients, ecological benefit and social acceptance. The multi-criteria evaluation of the catchment strategies showed compensation between positive and negative performance of criteria within the catchment, which in the end reduced the discriminative power of the different strategies. Furthermore, benefit criteria are partially computed for the whole basin only. Both ecological continuity and nutrient load show upstream-downstream effects in opposite direction. The principles of "polluter pays" and "overall cost efficiency" can be followed for the reduction of nutrient losses when financial compensations between upstream and downstream users are made, similar to concepts of emission trading.

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