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Technical Focus Papers on Water Resources Management are publications of the GWP Technical Committee aimed at harnessing and sharing knowledge and experiences generated by Knowledge Partners and Country Water Partnerships through the GWP Knowledge Chain.

What differentiates IWRM from traditional water management approaches is the idea that water security can only be reached if different sectors that use water resources share information and collaborate on management issues. Another major difference is the meaningful involvement of stakeholders in the decision-making and implementation process. Both of these are impossible to achieve without communication. But the more diverse the actors are, the more likely they are to misunderstand each other or to pursue different kinds of interests, and the more communication specifically for conflictive situations might be needed. Communication is fundamental to any kind of success in IWRM.

Although an IWRM approach was incorporated into the development of the new Rajasthan State Water Policy in 2010, it quickly became clear that few stakeholders had a clear understanding of how it worked. Now, GWP India and their NGO Partner, Jheel Sanrakshan Samiti, have created a better understanding of the IWRM approach by involving all stakeholders in a capacity building programme, enabling them to take the lead in the planning and management of water resources in the state.

GWP Peru carried out the First Dialogue on National Development and Water Security in the context of Climate Change Adaptation on March 1, 2013, at the National Water Authority Auditorium in Lima. Its aim was to involve and sensitize actors across all sectors on the tight links among water management, adaptation to climate change, and sustainable economic growth.

Although an IWRM approach was incorporated into the development of the new Rajasthan State Water Policy in 2010, it quickly became clear that few stakeholders had a clear understanding of how it worked. Now, GWP India and their NGO Partner, Jheel Sanrakshan Samiti, have created a better understanding of the IWRM approach by involving all stakeholders in a capacity building programme, enabling them to take the lead in the planning and management of water resources in the state.

In Kyrgyzstan, lack of drinking water and access to sanitation is a pressing problem which reinforces social vulnerability and poverty. Financed by the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank, actions have been taken to improve access to drinking water and sanitation by the Ministry of Health. These projects had a high level of community involvement which increased the sense of ownership.

After some devastating floods in the Yangtze, the Chinese government took action and issued a policy to counter floods, including wetland restoration. WWF further assisted and developed four pilot sites to demonstrate the benefits of wetland restoration for biodiversity, and to seek alternative income options for farmers, based on the sustainable use of wetlands. This case illustrates the value of a participatory approach. 

Interview with Milkana Mochurova, PhD, at the Economic Research Institute at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

Get involved in Danube Day, help secure a positive future for the Danube and win great prizes!

Dalibor Urban and Jakub Vávra from Elementary Art School in Jedovnice (Czech Republic) were crowned the 2012 International Art Masters with their artwork Rivers 2021!