CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION TO IWRM
Contents
• Definition of IWRM
• The need of IWRM
• The concept and major pillars of “Integration”
• Benefits of IWRM to sectors
• The basic planning unit
• IWRM in Ethiopia
Objective
• At the end of the chapter, students will be able to:
• Describe the meaning of IWRM,
• Understand the main reasons for taking an IWRM approach,
Definition of IWRM
• 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
• What are the ultimate goals of the process?
• Economic efficiency/development
• Social equity; and
• Environmental sustainability.
• How
• Through promotion of coordinated approach: Integration
Definition of IWRM
• IWRM:
• What does it really mean?
• More coordinated development and management of:
• Land and water
• Surface water and ground water
• Upstream and downstream interests
IWRM concept
• An empirical concept which is built up from the on-the-ground experience of
practitioners,
• A flexible approach to water management that can adapt to diverse national and
local contexts,
• Thus:
• It is not a scientific theory that needs to be proved or disproved by scholars
and (but)
• It requires policy-makers to make judgments about which :
• Reforms and measures,
Are most appropriate in a particular cultural,
• Management tools and social, political, economic and environmental
• Institutional arrangements context
Why is IWRM needed?
• Water resources are increasingly under pressure from population growth, economic activity
and intensifying competition for the water among users;
• Water withdrawals have increased more than twice as fast as population growth and
currently one third of the world's population live in countries that experience medium to
high water stress;
• Pollution is further enhancing water scarcity by reducing water usability downstream;
• Shortcomings in the management of water result in uncoordinated development and
management of the resource.
• More and more development means greater impacts on the environment.
• Current concerns about climate variability and change demand improved management of
water resources to cope with more intense floods and droughts.
The concept and major pillars of “Integration”
• IWRM should take appropriate account of important environmental sustainability,
economic, social and political dimensions (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Dimensions of water governance

The concept and major pillars of “Integration”
Social dimension
• Points to the equitable use of water resources.
• Water is unevenly distributed in time and space.
• Water is also unevenly distributed among various socio-economic strata of society in both
rural and urban settlements:
• Developing countries most affected:
• 1.1 billion people lack sufficient access to safe drinking water and 2.6 billion people
lack access to basic sanitation.
• Poorest section of the society most affected:
• Slum dwellers (those living in poverty stricken part of a city) have very limited
access to safe water for household uses compared to middle or high income
household in the same city;
• Water for food production often benefits large-scale farmers than small-scale
farmers.
The concept and major pillars of “Integration”
Economic dimension
• Draws attention to the efficient use (including prioritizing) of water resources and the role
of water in overall economic growth.
• Water use efficiency in developing countries is very low in both urban and rural areas.
• There is great room for improving the water situation through improved water
distribution and management.
Political dimension
• Points at granting water stakeholders and citizens equal democratic opportunities to
influence and monitor political processes and outcomes.
• Unfortunately, marginalized citizens are rarely recognized as legitimate stakeholders in
water-related decision-making at both national and international levels.
• Such as indigenous people, women, slum dwellers, etc.
• Generally, focus should be given to ensure both horizontal and vertical participation of all
stakeholders
The concept and major pillars of “Integration”
Environmental sustainability dimension
• Promotes the role of improved governance in enhanced sustainable use of water resources
and ecosystem integrity.
• Focus should be given to the linkage between land-use and surface and groundwater
quantity and quality.
• Implementing an IWRM process is a question of getting the “three pillars” right:
• Moving toward an enabling environment of appropriate policies, strategies and
legislation for sustainable water resources development and management;
• Putting in place the institutional framework through which the policies, strategies and
legislation can be implemented; and
• Setting up the management instruments required by these institutions to do their job.
The concept and major pillars of “Integration”
• Figure 2 illustrates the three major pillars of IWRM.
• Governments should play key role in the implementation of such IWRM framework with
full participation of relevant stakeholders.

Figure 2: The “three pillars” of Integrated Water Resources Management

Benefit of IWRM to sectors
• Ecosystem:
• A voice for environmental needs in water allocation;
• Raising awareness among other users of the needs of ecosystems;
• More attention to an ecosystem approach to water management;
• Protecting upper catchments, pollution control, and environmental flows;
• Safeguarding common resources such as forests, wetlands and fishing grounds on which
communities depend.
• Agriculture:
• Implications for agriculture of water use by other sectors considered in the management
process;
• Rational decision making on water use in which costs and benefits are considered;
• More effective use of water within the sector and hence increased returns;
• Multi-purpose water resource development and cross-sectoral recycling (e.g. use of
reclaimed municipal wastewater for irrigation).
Benefit of IWRM to sectors
• Water supply and sanitation:
• Increased security of domestic water supplies;
• Reduced conflicts between water users;
• Increasing recognition of the economic value of water leading to more efficient use;
• Increased use of water demand management;
• Improved waste management considering environmental effects and human health and
hygiene.
The basic planning unit
• Terminology:
• Drainage basin/Catchment: the area of land over which the water drains to a single
outlet;
• Watershed: either the equivalent of a drainage basin, or the delineating points (divide)
where water flows to two different outlets; and
• River basin: the drainage basin for a river system.
• Water follows its own boundaries: the river basin, lake-basin, or groundwater aquifer.
• Analyses and discussions of water allocation between users and ecosystem would make
sense when addressed at basin level.
• Hence, a lot of the “integration” in IWRM takes place at basin scale: local catchment
or aquifer, multi-state, multi-country/trans-boundary river basin.
IWRM in Ethiopia
• Ethiopia has already put in place water policy, legislation, strategy and
program that embrace IWRM principles to improve the existing situation.
• However, there are some constraints in implementation:
• Lack of integrated and participatory approaches.
• Awareness raising activities to disseminate existing plans and policies at various
levels (public and national institutions) are lacking.
• Lack of proper coordination.
• Capacity limitations (human and financial).
• The investment required for the implementation of this program can not be financed
by national funds alone.
• Lack of functional monitoring and evaluation system.
• The rate of implementation and the effectiveness of policies have not yet been
assessed.
IWRM in Ethiopia
• But, there are very promising and successful pilot projects that can be scaled-up.
• Being implemented by government, NGOs and communities.
• The Ethiopia Country Water Partnership (ECWP) launched in 2003 is implementing
various IWRM pilot projects through financial support from donors.
• The project was implemented in two river basins, Berki and Mesena.
• The situation in Berki catchment is summarized below:
• Water is the scarcest resource and cause of conflict among upstream and downstream
communities; the administrative authorities; and local businesses and NGOs.
• The root cause of the complex challenge has been identified to be lack of institutional
framework for stakeholders’ participation and low level of IWRM awareness among the
stakeholders.
• The biggest challenge was ensuring sustainable and equitable use and management of
the water resources of the Berki catchment for all the interest groups.
IWRM in Ethiopia
Mesena watershed
• Most of the inhabitants of the area depend on growing crops for their livelihoods; however,
their farmlands are seasonally flooded by the overflow of the Borkena River.
• Problems of drainage mean that communities often lose their crops and are unable to feed
their families.
• Unlike the Berki Catchment, water in the Mesena watershed is not scarce.
• The main problems of the Mesena watershed are high floods from the mountain due to
deforestation and uncontrolled grazing, and drainage of farmlands due to overflows from
the Borkena River.
• All the stakeholders are working independently without integrating or worrying about the
sustainability of the system.
• There is not adequate knowledge about the water resources potential of the catchment,
although it is being exploited by many users.