scholarly journals Governing Integration: Insights from Integrating Implementation of European Water Policies

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerry Waylen ◽  
Kirsty Blackstock ◽  
Sophie Tindale ◽  
Alba Juárez-Bourke
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Policy Integration ◽  
Water Policies ◽  
European Water ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Floods Directive

Integrated water resource management (IWRM) is a well-established goal, but there is little evidence about processes of integration linked to water policies. To address this, in 2016–2018 we used a content analysis, a survey and interviews with key actors leading the creation of plans to implement Europe’s Water Framework Directive and the Floods Directive. We explored whether and how implementation of these policies is being coordinated and reflect on implications for integrated water governance. We found a strong emphasis on achieving integration via coordination. Our interviews brought particular attention to the resources and capacities needed to improve collaboration across teams, including but not limited to information-sharing. Our study gives insight into practical approaches that may support coordination and hence integration of different policy goals for water management: however further theoretically-informed study to track these and other processes is required, as work to connect policy integration with IWRM is still in its infancy.

scholarly journals Developing a dynamic framework to examine the interplay between environmental stress, stakeholder participation processes and hydrological systems

2014 ◽  
Vol 364 ◽  
pp. 326-332
Author(s):  
G. Carr ◽  
G. Blöschl ◽  
D. P. Loucks
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Environmental Stress ◽  
Water Policy ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Stakeholder Participation ◽  
Institutional Conditions ◽  
Dynamic Framework ◽  
Environmental Events

Abstract. Stakeholder participation is increasingly discussed as essential for sustainable water resource management. Yet detailed understanding of the factors driving its use, the processes by which it is employed, and the outcomes or achievements it can realise remains highly limited, and often contested. This understanding is essential to enable water policy to be shaped for efficient and effective water management. This research proposes and applies a dynamic framework that can explore in which circumstances environmental stress events, such as floods, droughts or pollution, drive changes in water governance towards a more participatory approach, and how this shapes the processes by which participation or stakeholder engagement takes place, and the subsequent water management outcomes that emerge. The framework is able to assess the extent to which environmental events in combination with favourable contextual factors (e.g. institutional support for participatory activities) lead to good participatory processes (e.g. well facilitated and representative) that then lead to good outcomes (e.g. improved ecological conditions). Through applying the framework to case studies from the literature it becomes clear that environmental stress events can stimulate participatory governance changes, when existing institutional conditions promote participatory approaches. The work also suggests that intermediary outcomes, which may be tangible (such as reaching an agreement) or non-tangible (such as developing shared knowledge and understanding among participants, or creating trust), may provide a crucial link between processes and resource management outcomes. If this relationship can be more strongly confirmed, the presence or absence of intermediary outcomes may even be used as a valuable proxy to predict future resource management outcomes.

Scale and consequences – the limits of the river basin as a management unit

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 618-625
Author(s):  
Mike Muller
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Aquatic Environment ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Network Governance ◽  
African Experience ◽  
Basin Scale

Abstract Contrary to dominant paradigms, the river basin is not the obvious unit within which to undertake water management given the diversity of functions inherent in water resource management. The Southern African experience is presented to illustrate issues that may arise when using the river basin for different functions. Functions best addressed at a larger ‘problem-shed’ level are identified and it is explained why some other functions should rather be performed at smaller, sub-basin scales. Using recent work on water governance, which emphasise polycentricity and network governance, it is suggested that a better understanding of the appropriate scales for different functions will support activities such as planning, monitoring and the protection of the aquatic environment that may best be focused at river basin scale.

Climate Information and Water Management

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Carmen Lemos ◽  
Christine Kirchhoff
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Management Decision ◽  
Climate Information ◽  
Climate Change Projections ◽  
Response Options ◽  
Production Of Knowledge ◽  
Level Of Use

Climate-change projections suggest water managers, policymakers, and planners will need to grapple both with increased stress on water supplies and more climate variability and extremes. In the context of water governance, climate information can play a critical role in informing planning preparedness and response options; however, research shows that the level of use of climate information among water managers is still relatively low. This review examines three different disconnects at the intersection of scientific knowledge and water management. First, it tackles the disconnect between the production of knowledge and that knowledge’s application in specific water-management decision contexts. Second, it explores the disconnect between what different water management models, such as integrated water resource management, should in principle do to foster the use of climate information and how well they accomplish this goal in practice. Third, it examines the potential disconnect between adoption of climate information and adaptive capacity building.

scholarly journals A Transnational Urban Political Ecology of Water Infrastructures: Global Water Policies and Water Management in Hanoi

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucía Wright-Contreras
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Political Ecology ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Safe Drinking Water ◽  
Urban Political Ecology ◽  
Global Networks ◽  
Developmental Issues ◽  
Water Policies ◽  
Global Water

Using the lens of a transnational urban political ecology of water infrastructures in Vietnam, this article contributes to the understanding of the intersections between urbanization patterns, socioecological problems, financial schemes, and the power relations embedded in Hanoi’s urban water supply through politics of scale that aim to ensure safe drinking water. With the analysis of global water policies and their implications in the Southeast-Asian context, the objectives of this work are to (a) reveal the scalar nature of Hanoi’s water infrastructures by situating water management processes in a broader context of developmental issues, and (b) review lessons and prospects of past and future global targets of access to safe drinking water. The evidence of multilevel water governance processes and cross-sectoral challenges of safe water provision emphasizes the need for global networks of cooperation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 6 and contribute to other sectors aiming to “transform our world.”

scholarly journals A practitioners’ view on the application of water and flood directives in Italy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Martinengo ◽  
Antonio Ziantoni ◽  
Fabio Lazzeri ◽  
Giorgio Rosatti ◽  
Riccardo Rigon
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Future Application ◽  
Technical Knowledge ◽  
Water Management System ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Water Policies ◽  
System A ◽  
European Water ◽  
Critical Aspects

The commonly called Water Framework Directive (WFD) and Flood Directive (FD) represent pivotal points for European water policies. They do not need any further introduction here since there are other contributions to this book that present them in detail. In this chapter, we briefly describe how they affect people working in Italy in water resources management, exploitation and protection of and from water bodies. In this contribution, we try to present the work needed to fulfil the directives generally, who did the work and with what responsibilities in past implementation cycles, and what was actually done in implementation cycle for both directives up to 2016. The result is a picture of the Italian water management system; a system not only defined by laws and norms, but also by habits and the way Institutions have developed during recent history through their interplay with growing technical knowledge, the implementation of policies, and the evolution of Italian society. This chapter is divided as follows: section 1 reports what has to be done to accomplish the directives generally; section 2 summarizes who performed the actions connected to the directives in past implementation cycles; section 3 and 4 report and discuss the Italy’s application of the directive; section 5 covers the role of science in the implementation of the directives; and, finally, section 6 contains some considerations on the main critical aspects and on the challenges the future application of the directives (2021- 2027) is going to face.

scholarly journals A Socio-Ecological System Analysis of Multilevel Water Governance in Nicaragua

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1676
Author(s):  
Luis Montenegro ◽  
Jochen Hack
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
System Analysis ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
National Level ◽  
Ecological System ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Process Data ◽  
The Law

Nicaragua enacted its Water Law in 2007, with the Dublin Principles for sustainable water management and integrated water resources management as its guiding framework. Implementation of the law remains a challenge, but significant efforts have been made to roll out this new water resources framework, to improve water management by enhancing a multilevel water governance system. To analyze multilevel water governance in Nicaragua and diagnose stakeholders’ roles and compliance with the law, we applied a socio-ecological system framework and several methods of analysis to process data collected from 52 in-depth semistructured interviews conducted with key stakeholders in the water sector. We found that the major variables affecting multilevel water governance were social interests, administrative capacity, and political, economic, and legal arrangements. The results suggest that there is centralization at the national level, a tendency toward noncollective choice rules, little investment in water resources, and a lack of knowledge concerning conflict resolution mechanisms. For multilevel water governance, a lack of funds is the main social, economic, and political constraint, affecting interactions and outcomes. Nevertheless, there is great potential to improve water resource management in Nicaragua by enacting the self-funding schemes established in the law. Moreover, government institutions, users, and various networks are willing to participate and take action to implement the law.

scholarly journals Irrigated Agriculture in Malaysia and Vietnam: A Comparative Analysis of Water Governance Strategies

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-61
Author(s):  
Hanna Andrea Sand
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Political Systems ◽  
Freshwater Resources ◽  
Governance Strategies ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractIrrigated agriculture has the potential to ensure food security, contribute to sustainable management, and preserve freshwater resources. At the same time, it is connected to problems such as water scarcity, environmental degradation and pollution, and poverty. This so-called “wicked” nature is addressed by comparatively analysing the strategies used for water governance in irrigated agriculture. To highlight its cross-sectoral nature, the concept of cross-sectoral alignment is introduced based on three governance criteria. The Southeast Asian countries of Malaysia and Vietnam are used to compare strategies as their differing political systems may lead to varying strategies and can thus offer greater insight into regional water management practices. The analysis suggests that the governance strategies used for irrigated agriculture have many similarities but also distinct differences. In particular, the influence of ODA in Vietnam as well as the way farmers are included in water management stand out in regards to the differences. Similar, however, are organisational set-ups, sectoral fragmentation, and insufficient supply of participatory mechanisms as well as generally low alignment across all categories. In consideration of the global importance of water management practices, only the aligned management of freshwater resources can increase environmental health and food security in the long term.

Water Governance and Management in Indus Basin - Challenges & Threats

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marium Sara Minhas Bandeali
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Policy ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
The State ◽  
Indus Basin

Water governance and management are important challenges for the River Indus Basin in Pakistan. Water governance refers to social, political and economic factors that influence water management. The water scarcity and water security are a major concern for the state to control its water resources. The study aims to give Sindh water policy by exploring the challenges to Indus Basin in managing water resources and to identify opportunities Indus Basin can look to improve water management. Interviews were conducted from water experts and analysts having 5 years’ experience or more in the water sector of Pakistan through a semi-structured self-developed questionnaire using purposive sampling technique and transcripts were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The findings show that increasing population, climatic change and rising demand of water are major challenges Indus is facing and Indus with time is getting water-scarce therefore need strong institutions, civil society and legislatures to ensure equitable distribution of water and maintain the ecosystem. The study emphasizes that water governance and management are necessary for sustainable use of water. Pakistan, the water stress country needs to address ‘governance’ at a wider scale to solve problems in the Indus Basin for the livelihood of people. The research will benefit the state, water experts, institutions as well as civil society to promote efficient use of water in Indus Basin.

Managing Water Resources, Past and Present

2004 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Water Politics ◽  
European Water ◽  
The Usa ◽  
British Experience ◽  
Over Exploitation

A multi-disciplinary analysis of the evolution of water politics and policy by an international team of distinguished experts. Water management in the Middle Ages in Europe, its evolution in the USA, the elaboration of the European Water Framework Directive, the British experience of water management, the over-exploitation of African aquifers, and the evolution of the water situation in Southern Africa are all examined. This volume underlines the fact that only an integrative and interdisciplinary understanding can lead to genuinely improved water management practices that will not benefit some social groups at the expense of others.

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