Conflicting Drivers of Virtual Water Trade: A Review Based on the “Virtual Water Concept”

The virtual water concept has been largely applied in the study of regional, national, and global water flows with particular emphasis on water endowment. Despite water traditionally being managed locally, certain forces (drivers) influence the local water resource availability and hence virtual water exchanges. This study reviews available literature to determine those drivers and their influence on virtual water exchanges. Studies show that the drivers are numerous, and there exist several available literatures providing controversial results leading to a high level of uncertainty in the determination of their relative significance. Possible reasons for the contradicting results are discussed and suggestions made.

Local water resource management through stakeholder participation: case study, arid region, India

Access to clean water is important for socio-economic development worldwide. Bhuj, in an arid region in Gujarat State in India, has an ancient and unique water resource management system. The city's visionary king developed a catchment system of lakes so that, despite minimal rainfall and frequent droughts, sufficient water could be stored to sustain the city for around 300 years. However, over the years, with rapid urbanization and the introduction of a piped water supply, this ancient supply system was abandoned and was not maintained well. As a result, the city's water resources became polluted and defunct, which forced it to depend on distant water sources. This study shows how the city's water management strategies changed before independence (1947), and pre-earthquake (1947–2001) and post-earthquake (2001 to present). The paper mainly documents how the city's own water resources can be managed successfully by following the concepts of IUWM through effective stakeholder participation, to make the city water-secure.

The Operations and Maintenance Business Information Link: Information Technology for Performance Measurement

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water resources management programs have undergone changes during the past two decades, including a shift in emphasis from the construction of new projects to the operation and maintenance (O&M) of existing projects. Consequently, expenditures for new construction have fallen while the O&M of existing projects has claimed an increasing share of the total agency budget. Given the current outlook of declining fiscal resources, Corps managers have recognized a need to evaluate the way the organization is doing business. The Corps O&M program appropriated approximately $1.7 billion for fiscal year 1999 to support an inventory of more than 4,000 projects. The program is managed through 8 division and 38 district offices across the nation. The Operations and Maintenance Business Information Link (OMBIL) integrates national program performance measurement, starting with criteria gathered at the lowest level, the local water resource project. The overall impact on the O&M program is twofold: Frontline employees contribute directly to corporate performance measurement, ensuring a national effort to achieve corporate goals and objectives, and the management hierarchy is able to support users at all levels through this outcome-oriented process. The result is a modified business methodology that enables more efficient and effective decision making.