Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) describes the goal-directed, coordinated controlling of the development and use of watersheds, such as rivers, lakes, wetlands and oceans.
It aims for a sustainable, ecosystem-conserving approach of managing natural water resources considering socio-economic, industrial and agricultural demands for water in times of a growing world population, increasing industrialisation and climate change. IWRM searches to bring together global and local players from various sectors influencing water resources.
The Global Water Partnership’s definition of IWRM is widely accepted. It states:
IWRM is a process which promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources, in order to maximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems.
Key principles in IWRM – The Dublin Principles
- Freshwater is a finite and vulnerable resource, essential to sustain life, development and the environment
- Water development and management should be based on a participatory approach involving users, planners and policy makers at all levels
- Women play a central part in the provision, management and safeguarding of water
- Water has an economic value in all its competing uses and should be recognized as an economic good
The International Conference on Water and the Environment, January 1992, Dublin'
Table of content:
- Background
- Challenges
1. Background
Increasing global encroachment of water resources caused by all different kinds of sectors calls for new approaches for global water management. No matter if looking at a small scale farmer in Ethiopia, a family in Germany or a chemical company in China, they’re all in need of their share of the global water resources. As the demand for freshwater develops continuously, the pressure on water repositories increases to the same or even larger extent. This trend is even fortified under the influence of global and local climate changes.
Agriculture is the largest consumer of surface and groundwater resources. Globally seen 70% of water withdrawal is allotted to agricultural production, looking at the Middle East it is even up to 95%.(Briefing Note Water scarcity and agriculture .GIZ 2013')
As agricultural production continuously seeks to comply with the increasing demand not only for food but also for commodities, agricultural water use increases rapidly. Under the additional pressure of climate change, observable in the changing spatiotemporal distribution of rainfall, solutions need to be developed which will enable us to face the growing demands for agricultural products and at the same time to reduce the increase in agricultural water use. Institutional innovations are required which allow focusing on targets and trade-offs at the same time.
The idea of IWRM has been around since the first global water conference in Mar del Plata in 1977, but has only been specified after Agenda 21 and the World Summit on sustainable development in Rio 1992. The concept was developed on the ground of experiences of practitioners. (Integrated Water Resources Management in Action. WWAP, DHI Water Policy, UNEP-DHI Centre for Water and Environment. 2009)
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