ABSTRACT Motivating public participation in water governance is challenging. In the context of digital governance, this study explores untangling public participation dilemmas via information and communications technology (ICT) empowerment for China’s river chief system. Using the technology acceptance model and analysing 926 questionnaires from Guangzhou, we found that: (1) high technology adoption rates coexist with low conversion rates due to usability issues; (2) perceived usefulness mediates usage behaviour, regulated by perceived ease of use, creating an efficiency paradox; and (3) technology and institutions mutually reinforce each other. Optimizing identity authentication and fostering tech-institution collaboration can enhance ICT-based public participation.

ABSTRACT This article compares Spain and Israel (1990–2020) to explain why similar legal reforms and investments in seawater desalination yielded divergent outcomes. Israel consolidated a centrally coordinated model with near cost-recovery and broad uptake, whereas Spain’s installed capacity has experienced lower and more uneven utilization alongside recurrent debate. Using a most-similar systems design, the analysis explores four policy dimensions: tariff design, social acceptance, governance arrangements and legal coordination. Findings show that durable performance depends less on structural pressures than on coherent tariffs, availability-based contracts, integrated network operations and sustained outreach, with post-2020 developments discussed qualitatively to assess external validity.

ABSTRACT Transboundary water management challenges complicate resource governance in Central Asia (CA). Addressing these issues requires integrated approaches to manage shared water, energy and food resources. The water-energy-food (WEF) nexus framework explores the links between these resources but remains an emerging process in CA, where poor water management has caused the desiccation of the region. This review of 58 WEF nexus publications shows that research focuses mainly on water and multinational scales, with limited attention to smaller scales. Stakeholders are often excluded, and methods remain quantitative despite scarce data. Thus, highlighting the need for balanced methodological approaches, integration of smaller-scale analyses and enhanced stakeholder participation.

ABSTRACT Chile is experiencing persistent water scarcity due to prolonged drought and the impacts of climate change, requiring a comprehensive approach that integrates both demand and supply-side water management strategies. Among supply alternatives, unconventional water sources, such as fog water harvesting, offer the potential to enhance water security. Despite its promise and existing experience in its development, the broader implementation of fog water harvesting remains limited by the lack of clear legal status and regulatory frameworks surrounding its infrastructure and use. This article analyses the current legal context of fog water in Chile, highlighting the need for clear regulations governing its ownership, collection, storage, distribution and use. A proposed regulatory framework is presented to facilitate the responsible and effective integration of fog water as a complementary resource, thereby contributing to water scarcity mitigation and strengthening societal resilience.

ABSTRACT China’s water security faces unprecedented challenges, examined through the variation in socio-economic development, water resource availability, water-related disasters and aquatic ecosystems to develop a water security philosophy under a changing environment. Guided by the human-water harmony notion, water security needs to balance the human need and natural need, load pressure and carrying capacity, and risk aggregation and mitigation. We propose an integrated water security framework of adaptive socio-economic development patterns, resilient water infrastructure systems and rigorous water governance mechanisms, which manages both human activities and water infrastructure, including natural assets and built projects. Policy recommendations are further proposed for future water security.

ABSTRACT The Yellow River Basin in China faces severe water scarcity, ecological fragility and complex governance challenges. Frequent flow interruptions in the 1980s and 1990s pushed the river to the brink of collapse. Since the Yellow River Conservancy Commission implemented unified water management in 1999, uninterrupted flow has been maintained for 25 years, setting a global model. This paper summarizes the Commission’s achievements in water allocation, soil conservation, water quality control and ecological restoration, providing insights for countries dealing with similar water challenges.

ABSTRACT Due to its complex water conditions, China faces a severe challenge of water security. In recent years, the Chinese government has vigorously boosted water governance through six pathways, one of which being the development of digital twins in the water sector, and has made remarkable progress to guarantee its water security and reach the water-related goals of the 2030 UN SDG Agenda. This article introduces the basic concepts, development pathways, and main content for the development of digital twins of water. It also presents the specific practices of China in different scenarios to empower its modern water governance and management with digital technologies.

ABSTRACT Flood risk management increasingly focuses on integrated approaches and ‘spatial quality’. Previous research emphasizes the importance of policy instrument mixes for achieving spatial quality, but the specific mixes adopted and their selection processes remain unclear. Based on a survey of 62 project managers from the Dutch Flood Protection Programme, we found that achieving spatially embedded flood risk management heavily relies on the project’s goals, the individual experiences of team members and the institutional context. As there is little central guidance on spatial quality, these factors are likely to lead to spatially unequal outcomes.