Water Governance Challenges Research Articles

Challenges of water environment governance in China: based on a qualitative comparative analysis approach

ABSTRACT As a developing country focused on water pollution control, understanding the mechanisms behind China's water environment governance challenges is crucial. This study uses fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fs/QCA) to develop a localized political-economic-social-technological (PEST) framework tailored to local governance realities, analyzing cases from the second round of Central Environmental Protection Inspection (CEPI). Two critical paths of local water governance challenges (CWEG) are identified: (1) In the 'government capacity constraints” path, stable yet limited official autonomy, combined with weak social supervision, obscures the institutional environment's empowering role and restricts local governance capacity, hindering environmental management effectiveness. (2) In the 'formalism in governance' path, a strong institutional environment, significant fiscal decentralization, robust digital infrastructure, green technology innovation, and low official turnover create a favorable governance environment. However, under the logic of avoiding accountability, formalism may emerge, posing challenges to effective water resource management.

Designing for collective action: a knowledge co-production process to address water governance challenges on the island of Öland, Sweden

Enabling diverse actors to address interlinked sustainability issues is important and challenging. This paper focuses on how to design a dialogue-based knowledge co-production process to nurture collective action. Using the conceptualization of systems, target, and operational knowledge as the guiding framework, we designed and combined different complementary activities to invite actors to look at a wicked problem through multiple lenses and reflect on their own positions, perspectives, knowledge, and values. With a carefully documented workshop series held with local actors on Öland, Sweden, as our empirical case study, we demonstrate how we moved from exploring the multifunctionality of landscapes and understanding actors’ different values, preferences, and priorities, to developing four strategies for effectively accelerating and expanding efforts to adapt to climate change. Our study reveals how the process of mobilizing, articulating, and connecting individually held systems, target, and operational knowledge nurtures collective action. It also leverages dialogue-based processes as cornerstones in addressing sustainability challenges in an inclusive and equitable way.

Community water governance for climate-resilient water security in Fiji

ABSTRACT Climate change is a significant and growing threat to water security in the Pacific Region. However, little is known about how communities in the region mobilize resources and institutions to safeguard water security and build resilience. We engage the community disaster resilience framework and use ethnographic observations and semi-structured interviews to examine how rural communities in Fiji mobilize household and community resources (effectively and otherwise) to manage water security amid persistent climate-related disasters. We highlight important lessons on the opportunities and challenges of community water governance for water security and disaster resilience in the Pacific Islands.

ANALYSIS OF WATER GOVERNANCE IN IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT INSTITUTIONS IN THE BENA IRRIGATION AREA, SOUTH AMANUBAN DISTRICT, SOUTH CENTRAL TIMOR REGENCY

Purpose: The aim of this research is to identify problems and evaluate the effectiveness of institutions in irrigation management in the Bena region, as well as understand the impact on farmers. This research also aims to provide comprehensive information about institutional governance and behavior of the government, private sector and community in irrigation management, as well as identifying strategies to increase the effectiveness of water management in the future. Theoretical Framework: The theoretical framework for this research includes the following concepts: clean water crisis, the link between water availability and food security, governance paradigms, the concept of sustainable development, the role of irrigation management institutions, institutional challenges, conflict and inefficiency in the allocation of water resources, and principles -environmental principles. This theoretical framework helps analyze water management problems in the Bena irrigation area and develop recommendations to improve the effectiveness of water management in the future. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research was carried out using the descriptive analysis method, namely, by displaying or explaining clearly and in detail the conditions and realities in the region's irrigation management institutions. Results: The results of the research show that there is no synergy between primary, secondary, and tertiary channels, increasing irrigation water conflicts, implementation of planting procedures without paying attention to water management conditions, construction results are not followed by asset management due to lack of budget allocation, and the empowerment, strengthening and participation of institutional water user farmer associations (P3A) has not been optimal so that the capacity of local governments, especially districts, in managing Bena water resources and irrigation is not optimal. Therefore, it is recommended that in the institutional context of irrigation management, each party involved must complement each other's work culture framework so that no one party dominates the running of the water governance. It is strong enough to replace the hierarchy. Research, practical and social implications: The implications of this research include: providing an analytical model of water governance, identification of water governance challenges, recommendations for the adoption of customary water management practices, emphasis on stakeholder involvement in policy making, cultural adaptation and integration, and increased communication and collaboration. It provides a platform for researchers and policymakers to improve the effectiveness of water governance, while strengthening community engagement and paying attention to local cultural values. Originality/Value: The originality of this research lies in the application of a new water governance analysis model, identification of specific challenges in water governance, recommendations for adopting indigenous water management practices, emphasis on stakeholder engagement, cultural adaptation, and improved communication and collaboration. It makes an important contribution to enriching understanding of water governance and offers practical guidance for improving the effectiveness and sustainability of water management at the local level.

State-centric water governance and ineffective coordination: developing a context-sensitive assessment in Iran’s rentier state

ABSTRACT Water reforms fail mainly because stubborn contextual constraints are not effectively considered. This study proposes a context-sensitive water governance assessment by designing a comparative approach within a case study and making inductive analytic generalizations. The framework is applied empirically to the Zayandeh Rud basin in the rentier state of Iran. The results indicate that the rentier-weak state context has led to centralized rent-seeking governance and limited implementation capacity – characteristics of the entire country, not just the water sector. Water issues will, therefore, require context-sensitive, problem-driven analysis beyond addressing water governance challenges.

Tata kelola sumber daya air berkelanjutan-berkeadilan : Bagaimana Indonesia memperkuat poros maritim?

Water resources are an important aspect of human survival. However, population growth, urbanization, climate change, agricultural expansion, and industrialization have led to a rapid decline in the quality and availability of water resources. It is estimated that by 2050, the global population will reach 9.7 billion, which will increase the need for water resources. Currently, approximately 2.3 billion people live in water-critical areas, and two-thirds of the global population experiences critical water shortages for at least one month of the year. The United Nations has established Sustainable Development Goals, with a focus on clean water and sanitation. Indonesia, with more than 17,000 islands, has rich water resources but is vulnerable due to urbanization, pollution, and climate change. To overcome these challenges, sustainable water governance is necessary. Indonesia is already experiencing water shortages, and it is estimated that 67% of economic activity will be in areas experiencing water scarcity by 2045. In addition, Indonesia is among the ten largest groundwater-consuming countries, drawing groundwater mainly for domestic use. To overcome this challenge, the government has implemented water governance reforms through regulatory policies and infrastructure improvements. In this context, this research aims to provide an overview of the progress of sustainable water governance in Indonesia and strategies for facing challenges as a maritime axis in sustainable water governance. This study uses a systematic literature review methodology to analyze 69 articles on current water governance practices, sustainable water governance challenges, and strategies for overcoming these challenges. By adopting sustainable water governance, Indonesia can ensure fair and equitable access to water, reduce water-related conflicts, increase access to clean water and sanitation, and strengthen the country's overall environmental and economic resilience.

EXAMINING WATER EFFICIENCY MEASURES FOR THREE- TO FIVE-STAR GRADED GAME LODGES AND FOR RESIDENTIAL BENEFICIATION IN HAMMANSKRAAL, SOUTH AFRICA

Globally, water scarcity has been a concern for the tourism and hospitality sectors, which are significant water consumers. Conflict between lodges and residents can also arise from differing priorities, competition, limited access, and inadequate infrastructure. There are limited studies addressing water governance challenges and equitable water access while balancing conservation, tourism, and local needs. In the arid regions of water-scarce South Africa, particularly in areas hosting game lodges essential to tourism, effective water management is vital in societal terms. In this context, the present study aimed to address these issues by investigating water efficiency measures adopted in game lodges and exploring sustainable solutions for equitable water access for neighboring residents. Effective water governance is essential for balancing conservation efforts, fulfilling guest expectations, and meeting the needs of local communities. Through semistructured techniques, this study explored the adoption of water efficiency measures by residents in Hammanskraal and the neighboring threeto five-star graded game lodges around Dinokeng Game Reserve, South Africa. The challenges that game lodges face is outlined, such as deficient government policy enforcement and insufficient stakeholder collaboration, which hinder the mandatory adoption of water efficiency measures. This suggests the need for stronger regulatory frameworks and better coordination among stakeholders in ensuring the success of game lodges in water management. The specific strategies and technologies employed by residents and lodges to conserve water and manage their resources sustainably were identified. Findings further illuminate the intricate relationship between game lodges, residents, and water resource management, emphasizing the need for harmonious coexistence to prevent social tensions. Additionally, the study exposed gaps in policy, corruption, and inadequate infrastructure, which have led to suboptimal water governance in the Hammanskraal region. Municipal lapses and inadequate monitoring contribute to water management issues, negatively affecting residents. The key knowledge contributions highlighted by the study include the importance of engaging local communities in water governance for more effective and resilient water management practices

Water governance challenges at a local level: implementation of the OECD Water Governance Indicator Framework in the General Pueyrredon Municipality, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

Abstract Considering that the current water crisis is largely a governance crisis, improving water governance will help to address current and future water challenges. Water governance is defined as the range of political, institutional and administrative rules, practices and processes through which decisions are taken and implemented, stakeholders can articulate their interests and have their concerns considered, and decision makers are held accountable for water management. The Water Governance Principles proposed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) contribute to the creation of tangible public policies oriented toward effectiveness, efficiency, reliability and participation. The aim of this research is to apply the OECD Water Governance Indicator Framework at a local level and to identify gaps and challenges for water governance in the General Pueyrredon Municipality (GPM), Buenos Aires Province (BAP), Argentina. This framework was used as a diagnostic tool to assess water governance policy frameworks (what), institutions (who) and instruments (how). In general terms, there is a robust legal framework, there are enforcement institutions regarding water management and there is a good connection with them. However, the main challenges identified were in the ‘how’, since most of the instruments are partly or not implemented.

Connected and disrupted hydrosocial territories: the making of modern socionatures through inter-basin water transfers

Actual and projected water scarcity has accelerated the scale of hydrological infrastructure and the number of Inter-Basin Water Transfers (IBWTs), which move freshwater from one geographically distinct river catchment or basin to another. IBWTs are supply-side programs that pose distinct water governance challenges. If all projected IBWTs are completed by 2050, the volume of water transferred would be 48% of global water withdrawals. This article examines IBWTs from a socionatural perspective. Building on the political ecology scholarship of hydrosocial territories, I probe how IWBTs co-constitute and reconfigure socionatural relations, and how these are experienced by communities and ecologies in unequal ways. I discuss how IBWTs bring about changes, what features of hydrosocial territories they influence, and what conflicts emerge. For 29 IBWTs I define their multiple socionatural dimensions – biophysical, socioeconomic and governance – and the interrelations between them. IBWTs generally degrade biophysical and socioeconomic conditions for communities in water-sending "donor" basins, and condition future territorial reconfigurations. Water governance institutions are ill-equipped to take on the challenge that IBWTs bring in governing across multiple basins, indicated by the conflicts they generate. These concern defense of territory and ways of life, as well as allocation disputes. Political conflicts emerge because worlds shift irrevocably when IBWTs become fixtures of hydrosocial territories.

Framing Water Policies: A Transdisciplinary Study of Collaborative Governance; the Katari River Basin (Bolivia)

Collaborative water governance deals with diverse actors under participatory systems of decision making. This form of water governance involves stakeholders with fundamentally different values and premises about water resources, as well as different understandings of the problem and how to approach it. Thus, one of the major challenges of collaborative water governance relies on the diversity of frames carried by stakeholders involved and the shift from hierarchical decision-making to a more collaborative and participative process. The fragmentation of frames can represent an obstacle, impede mutual understanding, and negatively influence decision making and policy outcomes. Based on participative observation, interviews, and document analysis, we explored the drivers behind the framing process in the multi-actor platform of the Katari River Basin, located in Bolivia. The results highlight a participatory process design favoring the fragmentation of frames and a unidirectional decision-making process, where public authority, scientific–technical expertise, and the local community’s knowledge are insulated, and communication among actors is asymmetrical. At the same time, this research reveals the influence of the political context in the framing process.

Learning from Aotearoa: Water governance challenges and debates

AbstractThe New Zealand experience continues to make an outsized imprint in water governance scholarship globally. The articles collected here press forward frontiers in hydrosocial and narrative approaches to water politics, reporting much‐needed grounded accounts of governance experimentation and providing critical insight into approaches towards decolonizing environmental governance. Although the contributions are – and must be – carefully situated within the specific historical and geographical context of Aotearoa, they do not shy away from the ‘big questions’ and have much to offer international readers.

Towards Good Water Governance: An Analysis of Jordan's National Water Strategy.

Jordan is considered one of the most water-scarce countries in the world. As a result, Jordan took several steps toward good water governance by setting goals, policies, strategies, and plans. However, several research studies show that it should be strengthened and improved. Research has shown that good water governance is necessary to achieve water security, and several frameworks have been developed to research these challenges (e.g., Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) framework). This study aims to evaluate water security governance in Jordan and identify gaps and challenges for good water governance. To achieve the research objective, various qualitative methods and analytical frameworks were used. A two-level framework was followed by combing the OECD Principles on Water Governance (2015) and the OECD Water Governance Indicator Framework (2018) to analyze Jordan's National Water Strategy 2016-2025 (NWS) through direct content analysis. The study findings showed that Jordan's NWS managed to capture to some extent, good water governance principles for Policy Framework, but failed to provide Governance Mechanisms for implementation. Furthermore, the study showed that the water governance Institutional Setup is relatively well established. Regarding the implementation and functionality of the principles analyzed, the performance of each of the principles tended to vary. The study revealed that Jordan should take serious steps toward a water governance reform that puts good water governance principles and practices in the center, to achieve water security.

Emerging and persistent challenges in water resources governance in rural Tanzania: The Mgeta subcatchment of the Upper Ruvu Basin

ABSTRACT The article examines the emerging and persistent challenges of water resources governance that contribute to unequitable sharing of water resources amid the different competing users in the Mgeta subcatchment in the Ruvu River Basin, Tanzania. The author used a mixed method research design to examine the challenges of water governance in rural Tanzania, with a focus on households (water users) in the Mgeta subcatchment of the Upper Ruvu Basin. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews were used to garner qualitative data, while a questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data. Both quantitative and qualitative data were analysed. The results indicated that conflicts, inactiveness of members of the Community Based Water Supply Organisation (COBWSO) in Kibaoni village (one of three case villages), overlapping of responsibilities among key actors, as well as ineffective revenue collection were the main challenges facing water resources governance. The author concludes that concerted efforts are needed to address governance challenges hampering equitable access to water resources among different users.

Barriers in Participative Water Governance: A Critical Analysis of Community Development Approaches

Participatory approaches within development programs involving common-pool resources are intended to revive a community’s role in managing these resources. Certainly, to ensure the successful and equitable use of such resources, community participation is essential. However, in many cases, attempts at applying a participatory approach often fail to genuinely engage all subgroups within a community due to assumptions of homogeneity and a lack of understanding of the deep socio-political divisions between people. As a result, development programs can be plagued by these pre-existing power relations, potentially resulting in tokenistic community participation and the continuation of elite capture of natural resources to the same extent or worse than before a development program has begun. This in turn can negatively impact good governance and the fair distribution of a common pool resource. This paper explores the use of participatory approaches in water projects, assessing to what degree power relationships impact water management programs. Using a qualitative approach, the paper identifies key challenges of participatory water governance through case studies from Turkey, India, and Sri Lanka, exploring: lack of social trust, elite capture of participatory processes, power heterogeneity and imbalances at the micro-level, and a lack of inclusive participation in decision-making. Based on the analysis of these case studies, this paper argues that it is essential for participatory development interventions to understand socio-political power relations within a community—an inherently complex and contested space. The so-called “exit strategy” of a community project play a key role to decide the project sustainability that grants the “community ownership” of the project. Such an understanding can bring about greater success in development interventions attempting to address water-related issues.

Hybrid and Multi-Level Adaptive Governance for Sustainable Urban Transformations in the Global South: A Secondary City Case Study

The water governance crisis has critical implications for the transformation of cities through establishment of sustainable water management practices. Adaptive governance approaches, with their potential to address global water governance challenges, are emerging in the context of the global South (GS). A key feature of adaptive governance is its enabling context, or hybridized governance approach which bridges organizational and network activities across multiple implementation scales. Transforming urban water management toward sustainable water governance practices requires flexibility and agility, and a willingness to enable new ideas, features often associated with smaller and newer cities (secondary cities) which are less constrained than the major cities. However, unpacking their potentiality and the scope of such secondary cities to lead the way in transitioning to sustainable water governance remains under-researched. To address this gap, a qualitative study in a representative GS secondary city (Mymensingh in Bangladesh) was undertaken to investigate whether national and local strategies directed toward improving governance and management capacity of the local municipality are yielding sustainable transformations. We identified a significant shift within the governance regime that influences existing power dynamics and decision-making for the delivery of urban water services. Within the traditional state-led governance structure, a hybridized governance is emerging that builds both institutional and actor capacity. However, these hybridized governance activities are strongly dependent on (international) donor investment and guidance, therefore the presence or absence of donor support will likely determine the impact of these activities in the future.

Enhancing Governance Capacity to Ensure a Long-Term Water Supply: The Case of Windhoek, Namibia

Windhoek, Namibia, faces water stress, urbanisation, climate change and governance challenges; these issues are constraining water provision and underpinning the urgency to implement an integrated water resource management plan. Windhoek has provided access to water during droughts by relying on multiple water resources including treated wastewater. However, significant infrastructure investments are required to ensure continued water security. Through applying the City Blueprint Approach—an indicator assessment aiming to provide a holistic understanding of water management and governance—we substantiate how Namibia can enhance the capacity to implement legislation, with long-term focus and collaboration with experts and stakeholders.

Water Governance and Management in the 21st Century: A Case Study of Pakistan

Given the continuous population growth and climate change, water resources are becoming increasingly scarce. With the escalation of this water crisis, water management and governance have become essential concerns across policy agendas. Every country has a different regulatory system, policy framework, specific management requirements, institutional challenges, and capacity gaps concerning the administration of its water resources. The present study focuses on the policy frameworks and institutions for managing water resources in Pakistan at both provincial and federal levels. The paper analyzes water governance challenges and major hurdles regarding effective water management and the development of water resources in the country. A descriptive analysis of the country’s water management and water distribution between the federation and federating units is based on secondary data sources with a qualitative approach through a desk research method. While describing the underpinning issues and challenges of water governance and management in Pakistan, the study findings reveal that the country needs to adopt a collaborative approach towards water governance and management and capacitate the relevant institutions and stakeholders to perform their mandated tasks effectively to ensure a water-secure future for Pakistan. The study recommends launching mass awareness campaigns concerning efficient usage of water, adopting intelligent agriculture techniques, and fast-tracking the completion of new reservoirs while discouraging build-neglect-rebuild policies for the existing water infrastructure. The study also presents limitations and recommendations for future research.

La gobernanza de los Grandes Lagos entre Canadá y Estados Unidos, ¿siempre de común acuerdo?

Our objective is to analyze, from a geopolitical and legal point of view, the main challenges of water governance in the Great Lakes of North America. The analysis is based on an extended bibliographic search and a triangulation analysis of the corpus thus produced. The first part of the text identifies the concerns of riparian populations in recent years. The second presents the challenges of protecting the basin from climate change and political uncertainty. Overall, the text provides a better understanding of the construction of a transnational water governance model based on the community of interests, which seems to leave behind the old Harmon theory of absolute sovereignty. We will finally ask ourselves, if it will be necessary to attribute a new juridical status to this basin to protect these ecosystems from the challenges raised by climate change.

An Earth system law perspective on governing social-hydrological systems in the Anthropocene

The global hydrological cycle is characterized by complex interdependencies and self-regulating feedbacks that keep water in an ever-evolving state of flux at local, regional, and global levels. Increasingly, the scale of human impacts in the Anthropocene is altering the dynamics of this cycle, which presents additional challenges for water governance. “Earth system law” provides an important approach for addressing gaps in governance that arise from the mismatch between the global hydrological cycle and dispersed regulatory architecture across institutions and geographic regions. In this article, we articulate the potential for Earth system law to account for core hydrological problems that complicate water governance, including delay, redistribution, intertwinements, permanence, and scale. Through merging concepts from Earth system law with existing policy and legal principles, we frame an approach for addressing hydrological problems in the Anthropocene and strengthening institutional fit between established governance systems and the global hydrological cycle. We discuss how such an approach can be applied, and the challenges and implications for governing water as a cycle and complex social-hydrological system, both in research and practice.

Implications of the Urban Water and Food Systems Governance Nexus for Household Food Security in the City of Gweru, Zimbabwe

Innovative water governance practices are essential to achieve sustainable cities through robust public policies and stakeholder engagement. This study assessed the dynamics of water service delivery in Gweru and its impact on household food security. The study focused on the city’s food sources, water service pricing, power struggles in decision-making, and the implications for household food security. A household survey was conducted with 489 respondents selected by stratified random sampling. Interviews with purposively enrolled key informants and observations were also used. Findings revealed a multi-faceted scenario of water governance challenges that crippled household food security. Food purchases and farming, the primary household food streams for the city, were under threat due to water shortages and high monthly water bills. More than 90% of household incomes were below the Poverty Datum Line and the Total Consumption Poverty Line; water bills accounted for a significant portion, ultimately causing food insecurity. The grant-aided municipality emphasized revenue collection to mitigate the central government’s 2013 debt cancellation. Gweru had no useful alternative sources of water for agriculture. The existing water governance failed to capture the complex symbiotic relationship between the city’s water and food availability. While we advocate minimal central government interference, the municipality must introduce an efficient dual-purpose water system to protect residents, the natural environment, and the local authority’s finances.