2.1 Introducing IWRM

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) isa systematic process for the sustainable development, allocation, and monitoring of water resources. The concept and principles of IWRM were articulated at the International Conference on Water and Environment held in Dublin in 1992 and in Chapter 18 of Agenda 21, a consensus document from the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), held in Rio also of 1992.

IWRM is a cross-sectoral holistic approach to water management, in response to the growing competing demands for finite freshwater supplies. It is an approach that aims to ensure the coordinated development of water, land and related resources to optimise economic and social welfare without compromising the sustainability of environmental systems (Global Water Partnership, 2000). Policy makers, analysts, international organisations and governments have sought consensus on principles to guide the setting of priorities, policy making and the elaboration of specific initiatives in IWRM. Key principles include:

• Water should be treated as an economic, social, and environmental good.
• Water policies should focus on the management of water as a whole and not just on the provision of water.
• Governments should facilitate and enable the sustainable development of water resources by the provision of integrated water policies and regulatory frameworks.
• Water resources should be managed at the lowest appropriate level.
• Women should be recognised as central to the provision, management and safeguarding of water.

The application of IWRM as a philosophy, policy, and implementation guideline can assist in addressing the:

• Need for improved water governance and for increased coordination and collaboration among various water sectors, such as drinking water supply and sanitation, irrigation, and ecosystem maintenance.
• Potential competition and conflicts among different stakeholders from all sectors and among individuals, communities, and governments.
• Environmental degradation that is threatening all life on the planet.
• Gender and social disparities in terms of equitable access to and control over resources, benefits, costs, and decision making between women and men.
• Need for sustainable water resources development as a key to poverty eradication.