New Water Policy and Practice Volume 1, Number 1 - Fall 2014 | Page 34

New Water Policy and Practice

to open the paradigm lock between research community and policy-makers who
are struggling to manage complex interactions between biological diversity, climate
change, land use change, and freshwater
use limits and constraints. These represent
four of the nine boundaries of the Earth
System processes recommended not to be
crossed to avoid unacceptable environmental change to humanity (Rockström et
al. 2009). While integrated approaches are
considered as panacea by their ardent advocates there is a growing criticism by others
due to individual and institutional capacity
limitations, funding and policy constraints.
These constraints differ for individual water
sectors, therefore the enabling environment
needs to cater for differing land and water
management challenges at the river basin
level.

Given the fundamental role of water
for sustainable development, the need for
an integrated approach to water resources
management and the role of ecosystems for
achieving a water-secure world, has also
been reaffirmed in the outcome document
of the Rio+20 United Nations Conference
on Sustainable Development, entitled “The
Future We Want” (paragraphs 119-124) adopted by the UN General Assembly through
resolution A/RES/66/288. The pivotal role
of water for socio-economic development
and for maintaining healthy ecosystems is
more and more threatened due to intensifying pressures on water resources. The
population growth, the demands on hydro
energy, the higher rates of urbanization all
over the world, demands for drinking and
industrial water, the degradation of ecosystems and environment, and the impacts of
climate change are among the key challenges to be addressed.

This paper focuses on integrated
water resources management in the context
of the overall concept, international ini-

tiatives, and proposals to promote it while
overcoming identified obstacles.

II - The IWRM Rhetoric

W

hile devising Sustainable Development Agenda, the implementation of IWRM at the river
basin level can offer pathways to implement
water solutions. It is based on generic principles, approaches and guidelines formulated at the International Conference on Water and the Environment, Dublin in 1992,
aiming to promote changes in concepts and
practices which are considered fundamental to improve the management of water
resources. These principles were further
reaffirmed in the outcome document of
the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development, (Paragraphs 119124) which reaffirms that IWRM does not
need to be seen as “a dogma” or “a de facto
solution.” In fact one of the main advantages of IWRM approach is its flexibility and
adaptability according to the circumstances. Maybe the generic principles remain the
same but their interpretation and practical
implementation needs local customisation.
It is important to take into account the hydrological specificities of a given river basin
as well as socio-economic setting with cultural sensitivity. For more efficiency IWRM
has to be implemented through local leadership and acceptance of all stakeholders.

It is recognised that much remains
to be done in terms of designing, financing
and implementing an integrated approach
to water resource management as stated in
the 2002 Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.

While acknowledging the goals
and importance of IWRM concept and
approach, it is also been argued by some
workers that IWRM “has basically been
turned into a dogma [that has become] a de

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