U316 The Environmental Web
Block 4: Sustainability and Water Management
Chapter 1 Discovering water
International action on water
An overview of global water-related problems
The inter-relatedness of water issues
Chapter 2 The 21st century water crisis: thirst versus blindness
Water shortages
Floods
Allocation of water resouces
Problems related to water management
Chapter 3 Water in a globilized world
Global water markets
The internationalization of water laws
Global water networks
Chapter 4 Towards sustainable water management
What does sustainability mean in the context of water management?
Transition to sustainability
The essential ingredients for a new governance of water
Integrated Water Management
Links
Dialogue on Water, Food and Environment
Geoguides: Dams!
Infectious Diseases
The International Water Academy
Streams of Knowledge
US Water News
UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme
USGS Water Resources in the United States
WaterAid
WaterWeb
All Routes Block 4 Links
Back to OU
| Block 1 Environmental Changes: Global Challenges | Block 2 Biodiversity and Ecosystems |
| Block 3 Climate Change: From science to sustainability | Back to U316 |
Summaries
Chapter 1
Water is one of the most important environmental resources of the 21st century.
Events focusing on water and sustainability (First UN conference focused on water in 1977 in Mar Del Plata; various World Water Fora; International Year of Freshwater 2003; Water Dome, 2002, etc.), have highlighted the importance of inter-relationships between natural and human systems, as well as that of water rights and equal distribution of the resource to meet people's basic needs.
There is a growing number of water responses initiated both by officials and by other types of stakeholders.
Water problems are widespread throughout the world; these relate not only to water scarcity but also to water pollution, over-abstraction, bad allocation of the resource and environmental degradation.
Water availability and water scarcity are different. Statistics on water stress can be misleading if they are aggregated and don't take account of population densities.
On a global scale, water circulates through the hydrological cycle. The working principle of the water cycle inspired the creation of urban sanitation infrastructures.
A basic principle of systems thinking is that 'the whole is more than the sum of its parts'. Three important systems concepts are those of emergence, feedback loops and boundaries.
Examples of systems practice in water management include integrated water management, river basin and catchment management, and the creation of web platforms for debates, knowledge sharing and decision-making processes.
Chapter 2
Water problems are experienced by millions of people in their daily life, around the world, especially in developing countries.
There are variouls types of vulnerability related to water issues: human health vulnerability, water shortages or floods, ecological vulnerability, fragility of our approaches and understanding of water issues, and unequal distribution of the resource.
Water is geographically, as well as economically and politically, unequally distributed in the world. Vulnerable groups include primarily poor populations.
Aquatic ecosystems perform four types of ecological functions (production, sink, life support, health). These are all interrelatd. Threatening one ecological function generates a threat to the other ecological functions.
Ecosystems can be affected by natural disasters as well as by human activities.
There are different types of water pollution and water pollutants.
We are increasing our water vulnerability by adopting water management approaches that do not respect ecosystem functioning. Water engineering has been considered as an efficient technologica fix for a long time. However, its negative ecological and social effects are now being highlighted.
A partial, sectoral understanding of water issues leads to partial, sectoral water responses. These non-holistic responses can in turn generate new problems.
We would benefit from having more varied water actors in the water sector than water companies versus regulators.
Chapter 3
The globalization of water is not only represented by the globalization of water markets. Global water networks andn international water laws also exist and present another face of 'water globalization'.
The provision and treatment of water seems to be lucrative business. However, users often seem to be the losers; water needs are often less well-met after a water multinational takes over water affairs.
The willingness to pay for water does not equate with the ability to pay for water.
The development of efficient water markets depends on a number of conditions, including the capability of the seller to establish ownership over the resource. In theory, for markets to operate in the public interest, the interests of third parties (environment and downstream populations) need to be considered. Frequently however, these are not respected.
The main objectives and tendencies of the international market economy seem to contradict the principles of fair allocation of water and the consideration of access to water as a human right.
Water laws and regulations provide the framework within which water policies are put into effect. Among their key purposes are the protection of public health, the protection of natural resources and the prevention of unfair pricing.
International water law is difficult to formulate and implement. However, texts such as the law of the non-navigable uses of international watercourses are slowly being formulated and these should help to resolve international water conflicts.
The creation of new, more integrated, platforms or institutions is taking place at a local level (as in Agenda 21 initiatives) but also at an international level.
Global Water Networks are a form of global participatory process that need to be connected to local knowledge and action, and that may rely on the use of the WWW. The WWW, as an alternative sort of platform, can help in giving a voice to people who cannot express their views or share knowledge in their countries' institutions.
There are positive and negative aspects to all forms of 'water globalization' - although some of them seem more appropriate in helping protect people and the environment.
Chapter 4
The sustainability of the water environment ahs various inter-related dimensions. Its terms of reference are as follows:
- The retention of sufficient water within the natural systems to provide a host of valued environmental goods and services and ecosystems functions.
- The economic dimensions of sustainable development, which shift the emphasis towards the fair allocation of available water an dthe development of least-cost suply enhancement schemes.
- The social dimension of sustainability: all consumers should be able to take enough water to satisfy their basic needs and maintain their livelihoods.
The seven sustainability criteria identified by Gleick can be used to indicate whether sustainability is being implemented through water management policies or not.
Systemic representations (such as Sustainability Assessment Maps) illustrate the inter-relations between the components of a complex system. They can be constructed collectively, hence inviting participation in debates and in decision-making.
Integrated Water Management involves the co-ordinated planning and management of land, water and other environmental resources for their equitable, efficient and sustainable use.
The advantages of participatory processes in the formulation of water responses are numberous and include, the devolving of certain responsibilities and the sharing of knowledge on best management practices.
Social learning implies that our water knowledge could be improved if the expert/non-expert divide was lifted and if communication was improved between the two groups of stakeholders.
Partnerships allow different water actors to work together: examples include private-public and professional as well as public sector-informal private sector partnerships.
To implement new principles of water governance, institutional reforms are needed.
Institutions cannot be reformed if there is no political will to do so.
Political cooperation is needed to provide long term solutions to water conflicts.
Change agents are people (or institutions) who are designated or volunteer to introduce change. Catalysts (such as new laws) also lead to change.
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