Integrated Water Resources Management

INTEGRATEDWATER RESOURCES

MANAGEMENTIN PRACTICE

Better water management for development

EDITED BY ROBERTO LENTON

AND MIKE MULLER

‘This book is a must-read for students, scholars, and practitioners of sustainable development. . . .

It is much more than an excellent text on water management. The book illustrates the power, and

challenges, of systems thinking in combining economic, social, and environmental objectives. . . .

The result is a superb description and analysis of the complex challenges, and pathways to success,

of societies as they grapple with the overarching 21st-century task of sustainable development.’

Jeffrey Sachs, Director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University and Special Advisor to United Nations

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

‘This enormously valuable book addresses the needs of the practitioner, whether they work at

village level or on reforms at national level and beyond. It is an invaluable asset to those who want

to improve water security and meet the Millennium Development Goals. I highly recommend it.’

Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt and former Vice-President for

Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development at the World Bank

Better water management will be crucial if we are to meet many of the key challenges of this

century – feeding the world’s growing population and reducing poverty, meeting water and

sanitation needs, protecting vital ecosystems, all while adapting to climate change. The approach

known as Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is widely recognized as the best way

forward, but is poorly understood, even within the water sector. Since a core IWRM principle is

that good water management must involve the water users, the understanding and involvement

of other sectors is critical for success. There is thus an urgent need for practical guidance, for both

water and development professionals, based on real world examples, rather than theoretical

constructs. That is what this book provides.

Using case studies, the book illustrates how better water management, guided by the IWRM

approach, has helped to meet a wide range of sustainable development goals. It does this by

considering practical examples, looking at how IWRM has contributed, at different scales, from

very local, village-level experiences to reforms at national level and beyond to cases involving

trans-boundary river basins.

Using these on-the-ground experiences, from both developed and developing countries

in five continents, the book provides candid and practical lessons for policy-makers, donors,

and water and development practitioners worldwide, looking at how IWRM principles were

applied, what worked, and, equally important, what didn’t work, and why.

Roberto Lenton is Chair of the Technical Committee of the Global Water Partnership. He is former

Director of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Division of the UNDP in New York and Director

General of the International Water Management Institute, Sri Lanka. Mike Muller was Director General

of South Africa’s Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and is currently visiting professor at the

University of the Witwatersrand’s Graduate School of Public and Development Management.

The Global Water Partnership’s vision is for a water secure world. Its mission is to support the

sustainable development and management of water resources at all levels. www.gwpforum.org

INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENTIN PRACTICE

Better Water Management for Development

9 781844 076499

ISBN 978-1-84407-649-9

www.earthscan.co.uk

Geography / Natural Resource Management / Development

Earthscan strives to minimize its impact on the environment

AND MIKE MULLER

ROBERTO LENTON

INTEGRATEDWATER RESOURCES

MANAGEMENTIN PRACTICE

00c-Integrated Water i-xx 12/2/09 11:03 Page i

00c-Integrated Water i-xx 12/2/09 11:03 Page ii

Edited by Roberto Lenton andMike Muller

With the assistance ofSarah Carriger

London • Sterling, VA

INTEGRATEDWATER RESOURCES

MANAGEMENTIN PRACTICE

Better water management for development

00c-Integrated Water i-xx 12/2/09 11:03 Page iii

First published by Earthscan in the UK and USA in 2009

Copyright © Global Water Partnership

All rights reserved

ISBN: 978-1-84407-649-9 Hardback

978-1-84407-650-5 Paperback

Typeset by 4word Ltd, Bristol

Cover design by Ruth Bateson

Cover images: industrial image © Jörg Hochscherf/Fotolia.com; cup of clean water © Claudia Dewald/

iStockPhoto.com; Komati River, South Africa © Mike Muller

For a full list of publications, please contact:

Earthscan

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Earthscan publishes in association with the International Institute for Environment and Development

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Integrated water resources management in practice: better water management for

development / edited by Roberto Lenton and Mike Muller.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-84407-649-9 (hardback) – ISBN 978-1-84407-650-5 (pbk.)

1. Water supply–Management. 2. Water resources development. 3. Sustainable development.

I. Lenton, R. L. II. Muller, Mike.

TD345.I538 2009

363.6'1–dc22

2008041791

At Earthscan we strive to minimize our environmental impacts and carbon footprint through reducing waste,

recycling and offsetting our CO2 emissions, including those created through publication of this book. For more

details of our environmental policy, see www.earthscan.co.uk

The book was printed in the UK by

MPG Books Ltd, an ISO 14001 accredited company.

The paper used is FSC-certified and the inks

are vegetable based.

00c-Integrated Water i-xx 12/2/09 11:03 Page iv

Contents

List of Tables, Boxes and Figures ix

Foreword xiii

Preface xv

Contributors xvii

1 Introduction 1

Water and development

Our conceptual framework

Notes

References

Part One – Local Level

2 A Watershed in Watershed Management: The Sukhomajri Experience 17

The development context

The Sukhomajri approach: the initial stages

Economic efficiency, environmental sustainability and social equity

The Sukhomajri approach: its evolution over time

Development outcomes

Lessons learned

Note

References

3 A Tale of Two Cities: Meeting Urban Water Demands through 29

Sustainable Groundwater Management

The development context

Urban water supply challenges: increasing demand and limited resources

The Danish management approach: national policy and legislation, regional planning and licensing, and local

implementation

Aarhus: balancing water demand with sustainability and environmental requirements

Aalborg: protecting vulnerable aquifers against non-point agricultural contamination

Lessons learned

Epilogue

References

00c-Integrated Water i-xx 12/2/09 11:03 Page v

4 Wetlands in Crisis: Improving Bangladesh’s Wetland Ecosystems 45

and Livelihoods of the Poor who Depend on them

Water, wetlands and development in Bangladesh

Genesis of the MACH project

Approach

Ecosystem restoration and protection

Economic outcomes

Equity and empowerment outcomes

Will economic and social outcomes be sustained over time?

Lessons learned

Note

References

5 Should Salmon Roam Free? Dam Removal on the Lower Snake River 59

From industrial to post-industrial priorities in the management of the Snake River: the water challenge

The approach to resolving conflicts

Analysis of alternatives

Reconciling economic, equity and environmental objectives

Lessons learned

References

Supplementary references

6 Better Rural Livelihoods through Improved Irrigation Management: 71

Office du Niger (Mali)

Water, agriculture and development in Mali

The approach to reform in the Office du Niger

The outcomes: efficiency, equity and sustainability impacts

Lessons learned

Notes

References

7 From Water to Wine: Maximizing the Productivity of Water Use in 89

Agriculture while Ensuring Sustainability

The development context and water challenges

The Murray–Darling Basin

The approach, triggers and processes

Instruments used

Outcomes

Lessons learned

References

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Part Two – Basin Level

8 Turning Water Stress into Water Management Success: Experiences in 107

the Lerma–Chapala River Basin

Mexico’s move from development to integrated management

The approach

Instruments used

The Lerma–Chapala Basin and IWRM

The outcomes and impacts

Key lessons learned

Notes

References

9 Turning Conflict into Opportunities: The Case of Lake Biwa, Japan 121

The development context and water challenges

Responses – addressing the challenges

Instruments used

Outcomes

Future challenges

Lessons learned

References

10 Taming the Yangtze River by Enforcing Infrastructure Development 135

under IWRM

The development context and water challenges

The approach taken to tame the tiger

From dams to laws – the instruments used to achieve harmony

Water resources management in a harmonious society – the three Es

The road to integration and harmony

The outcomes

Conclusions and key lessons learned

Note

References

Part Three – National Level

11 Taking it One Step at a Time: Chile’s Sequential, Adaptive Approach to 153

Achieving the Three Es

The development context

The approach

Instruments used

Integrated water resources management (IWRM) and water policies

Water allocation between different sectors and users

Environment and water management

CONTENTS vii

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Pending challenges

Outcomes and impacts

Lessons learned

Note

References

12 Attempting to Do it All: How a New South Africa has Harnessed Water 169

to Address its Development Challenges

The development context and South Africa’s water challenge

The reform process

Key concepts

From policy to implementation with equity, efficiency and sustainability

The outcomes

Lessons learned

Note

References

Part Four – Transnational Level

13 Transboundary Cooperation in Action for Integrated Water Resources 189

Management and Development in the Lower Mekong Basin

The development context and water challenges

Overview of social issues

Approach to water resources management in the Mekong Basin

Enabling instruments

The basin-wide governance approach – water utilization procedures

Addressing the three Es

What is integrated and how?

Outcomes and impacts

Lessons learned

Notes

References

14 Conclusions: Lessons Learned and Final Reflections 205

Drawing lessons from diverse experience

Distilling the key messages

Evolution of the integrated water resources management approach

Many challenges remain to the application of IWRM in practice

The ongoing challenges of participation and adaptation

IWRM as adaptive management

References

Additional References

Index 221

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List of Tables, Boxes and Figures

Tables

Table 1.1 Kenya: the economic impact of flood and drought 3

Table 2.1 Changes in groundwater levels 22

Table 3.1 Water prices in Aarhus, DKK per cubic metre (1 DKK equals US$ 0.20) 38

Table 4.1 Characteristics of the three wetland ecosystems in the MACH project 49

Table 5.1 Technical details: four Snake River dams 63

Table 6.1 Comparison of gross margins for rice production by farm size 82

Table 6.2 The extent of vegetable production in Office du Niger (1995/1996–2003/2004) 83

Table 7.1 A comparison of ABPWA groundwater and Murray River water use (volumetric and area) in

1981 and 2001 100

Table 9.1 Lake Biwa water resources development and conservation milestones 125

Table 9.2 Changes in the environmental administration system of the Shiga Prefecture government 129

Table 12.1 Natural mean annual runoff and the environmental reserve (in millions of cubic metres per year), and

storage in major dams (in millions of cubic metres) 175

Table 13.1 Recent achievements in the Mekong Basin 202

Table 14.1 Differences between traditional and adaptive regimes in water resources management 215

Boxes

Box 1.1 Agenda 21 provision for the application of integrated approaches to the development, management and

use of water resources 7

Box 6.1 Key milestones 75

Box 12.1 The Limpopo Province grapples with its water constraints 183

Box 13.1 Rotating rice and shrimp farming – My Xuyen, Viet Nam 192

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Figures

Figure 1.1 Water stress in major river basins 2

Figure 2.1 Sukhna Lake, Sukhomajri village and the Shivalik foothills 19

Figure 2.2 Changes in area irrigated by different resources 23

Figure 2.3 HRMS income and expenditure, 1986–2006 24

Figure 2.4 Changes in household income 25

Figure 3.1 Aarhus and Aalborg 30

Figure 3.2 Population growth in Aarhus, 1900–2005 31

Figure 3.3 Per capita water use in Aarhus, 1900–2005 (litres per person per day) 32

Figure 3.4 Indicators for nitrate pollution from agriculture and wastewater, 1989–2004 34

Figure 3.5 National reduction in water demand, 1982–2005 (in millions of cubic metres per year) 35

Figure 3.6 Water table decline and sulphate contamination 37

Figure 3.7 Relationship between water demand and water price in Aarhus 38

Figure 3.8 Nitrate levels in groundwater 41

Figure 4.1 The MACH project area 48–49

Figure 4.2 Fish yield and fish sanctuaries in MACH sites 53

Figure 4.3 Per capita fish consumption 53

Figure 4.4 Micro-credit support through MACH 53

Figure 4.5 Baikka Beel mid-winter waterbird census 54

Figure 5.1 Map of the Snake and Columbia Rivers 60–61

Figure 5.2 Salmon life cycle 64

Figure 6.1 The irrigated schemes of the Office du Niger 72–73

Figure 6.2 Rice production trend at the Office du Niger, 1994–2004 80

Figure 6.3 Paddy fields area trend at the Office du Niger, 1994–2004 80

Figure 6.4 Paddy yield trend at the Office du Niger, 1982–2004 81

Figure 6.5 Per capita paddy yield trend in the Office du Niger 82

Figure 7.1 Map of Angas Bremer irrigation district 90–91

Figure 7.2 Water sharing rules on the Murray River 92

Figure 7.3 Components within South Australia’s entitlement flow 93

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Figure 7.4 Internal functions of the Murray–Darling Basin Commission 94

Figure 7.5 Operation of the cap on water extractions 98

Figure 7.6 Annual groundwater allocation and use in the Angas Bremer PWA 101

Figure 8.1 The Lerma–Chapala River Basin 108–109

Figure 8.2 Water quality in the Lerma–Chapala Basin in 1989 112

Figure 8.3 Lake Chapala water storage evolution 113

Figure 8.4 Water balance of the Lerma–Chapala Basin 114

Figure 9.1 Lake Biwa and Yodo River Basin 122–123

Figure 9.2 Percentage of population served by sewerage systems in urban areas, 1970–2000, Shiga

Prefecture, Japan 128

Figure 9.3 Coverage of rural community sewerage, 1986–1998, Shiga Prefecture, Japan 128

Figure 10.1 Map of the Yangtze River 136–137

Figure 10.2 USA and China – carbon emissions 146

Figure 10.3 Industrial waste treatment rates, 1990–1998 147

Figure 11.1 Map of Chile 154

Figure 11.2 Chilean exports based on water resources 156

Figure 11.3 Functions of the state and the private sector in relation to water resources 158

Figure 11.4 Water rights prices 162

Figure 11.5 Water use efficiency – Chuquicamata Mine 165

Figure 11.6 Evolution of sewage treatment 166

Figure 12.1 Major rivers and basins in South Africa 170

Figure 12.2 The regions with the highest contribution to GDP and the highest proportion of the population

are often those with the lowest proportion of the water, as measured by the Mean Annual Runoff

(MAR) 171

Figure 12.3 Water management areas showing inter-basin water transfers 173

Figure 12.4 Water-related planning in the national planning framework 179

Figure 13.1 Mekong River Basin showing country catchment areas as percentage of MRB total area 190–191

LIST OF TABLES, BOXES AND FIGURES xi

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Foreword

Water is an integral part of the lives and livelihoods

of all of us. Our health, our food, our energy

security and our environment all depend on

investments in water resources management.

Without good water management, we will not be

able to achieve sustainable development or reduce

poverty. Nor will we be able to respond effectively to

emerging new challenges such as climate change

adaptation.

The Global Water Partnership’s (GWP) vision is

for a water-secure world, in which floods and

droughts are effectively managed, and the necessary

quantity and quality of water is available for health,

economic development and the preservation of

ecosystems. Our mission is to support the

sustainable development and management of water

resources at all levels. Following periods of

conceptualizing and advocating an integrated water

resources management (IWRM) approach and of

establishing locally-owned regional and country

partnerships, we now are poised to take on new

challenges. Our new strategy seeks to support

countries to improve water resources management,

putting IWRM into practice to help countries

towards growth and water security.

The publication of Integrated Water Resources

Management in Practice is therefore exceptionally

timely. The book contains important lessons that will

guide and inspire GWP and its partners in the years

to come. It emphasizes, for example, that pragmatic,

incremental approaches, which take into account

contextual realities, seem to have had the greatest

chance of working in practice. And it highlights the

fact that integrated water resources management is

not a prescription, but rather an approach that offers

a practical framework within which the problems of

different communities and countries can be

addressed. Integrated Water Resources Management in

Practice will therefore hopefully put to rest the

concerns of some that IWRM is an unrealistic and

impractical approach.

I am grateful to GWP’s Technical Committee for

its leadership in preparing this book. I am sure the

ideas, experiences and lessons in this book will

greatly contribute to advancing thinking and action

on water management. I strongly recommend it to

those interested in and concerned with the

management of water resources for sustainable

development and the reduction of poverty.

Letitia A. Obeng

Chair

Global Water Partnership

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