What is IWRM ?

IWRM (Integrated Water Resources Management)

Water is vital to human survival, health and dignity and is a fundamental resource for human development. The world's fresh water resources are under increasing pressure from population growth, economic activity and intensifying competition for water for different uses. With fast population growth, water withdrawals have increased more than two-fold while water pollution increases water scarcity. The main shortcoming of management is that it has tried to develop new resources rather than managing existing ones better. Hence Integrated Water Resources Management has been developed on the basis that the many different water resources are interdependent.

What is Integrated Water Resources Management?

Integrated management means that all the different uses of water resources are considered together. Water allocation and management decisions are made while considering the effect of one water use on another. They are able to take account of overall social and economic goals, including the achievement of sustainable development. Therefore Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is a participatory planning and implementation process, based on sound science, which brings together stakeholders to determine how to meet society’s long-term needs for water and coastal resources while maintaining essential ecological services and economic benefits.

What is the role?

Sectoral approaches to water resource management have dominated in the past and are still prevailing. This leads to fragmented and uncoordinated development and management of the resource. IWRM brings coordination and collaboration among the individual sectors, plus fostering of stakeholder participation, transparency and cost-effective local management.

Today one fifth of the world’s population is without access to safe drinking water and half of the population is without access to adequate sanitation. These primarily affect to poorest segment of the population in developing countries. Here substantial reorientation of investment priorities implement by IWRM to securing water for people.

According to population projections over the next 25 years food will be required for another 2-3 billion people. Irrigated agriculture is already responsible for more than 70% of water withdrawals. IWRM offers the prospect of greater efficiencies, water conservation and demand management equitably shared among water users, and of increased recycling and reuse of wastewater to supplement new resource development.

Terrestrial ecosystems in the upstream areas of a basin are important for rainwater infiltration, groundwater recharge and river flow regimes. Aquatic ecosystems produce a range of economic benefits, including such products as timber, fuel wood and medicinal plants, and they also provide wildlife habitats and spawning grounds. The ecosystems depend on water flows, seasonality and water table fluctuations and are threatened by poor water quality. IWRM can help to safeguard an environmental reserve of water commensurate with the value of ecosystems to human development.

Water management is male dominant. The representation of women in water sector institutions is still very low. This is very important because water resource management affect men and women differently. Yet, decision on water supply and sanitation technologies, locations of water points and operation and maintenance systems are mostly made by men. IWRM philosophy is that water users, rich and poor, male and female, are all able to influence decisions that affect their daily lives.