Water Governance System Research Articles

Learning from the Hydraulic Heritage of Figuig, Morocco

In the face of water scarcity and climate change, the Figuig Oasis exemplifies resilience through the integration of culture, heritage and sustainable development. This arid region has preserved ancient water management practices that have sustained life for millennia, offering a model for achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Figuig’s significance lies in the potential to harmonize traditional and modern water governance systems, optimizing its hydraulic organization as a living cultural heritage to ensure the sustainability of ecosystems in desert environments amid growing water scarcity.

The Missing Piece of the Puzzle: How Different Water-related Public Concerns Contribute to Water Governance in China.

Public participation is crucial to improving the performance of water governance systems, especially in a governance model dominated by a top-down hierarchical structure. Public concerns, as a vital form of public participation, have been acknowledged as an essential component in contributing to water governance. However, few studies explore the varying effects of diverse public concerns in leading to different water governance outcomes. This study addresses this gap by exploring the direct and indirect effects of water-related public concerns on water pollution control and governments' pollution mitigating actions, using citizens' water-related posts crawled from China's social media. Results show that public water-related concerns contribute to water governance both through its direct effects on reducing water pollution and indirect effects by promoting policy actions. Specifically, the concerns related to water pollution hazards, water pollution monitoring, prevention products, and water pollution control measures have more positive impacts on water pollution reduction compared to other types of concern. Meanwhile, public concerns demonstrate stronger effects in triggering economic-related and infrastructure-related water pollution mitigation actions. This study provides nuanced insights to understand the role of public participation in improving water governance, the findings of which are insightful to enhance accountability of water governance systems through a bottom-up approach.

Context-based Good Governance Approach: A Sustainable Solution for Water Crisis

Water governance is a complex, multilevel process based on the socio-political and administrative systems. The sustainable use of water resources is the main challenge of the present-day global water governance. The top-down, technocratic approach to governance made the water crisis, the crisis of governance. Literature shows a radical change towards a more humanistic, situation-based strategy that can solve water issues. The article analyses the significant water challenges, which include governance, scarcity, sustainability and adaptability. The article focuses on the importance of considering good governance principles such as accountability, transparency, responsiveness, effectiveness and efficiency, inclusiveness and equity and citizens’ engagement in water governance, with particular emphasis on the context-based approach. The central argument is that the water governance system differs according to the context of governance, and the application of the good governance principle should follow contextual understanding. A major suggestion is that a context-based, good governance approach can be the sustainable solution to the water crisis.

Assessing the role of actors in river restoration: A network perspective.

The aim of this study was to identify and characterize the actors involved in river restoration in Romania by untangling the complex networks that they are part of. Actors were considered nodes in a social network, tied by a common action or project. The nodes were characterized through the centrality metrics of a network. The network of actors in river restoration in Romania has a low density and high average path length and diameter for such a spare network, which suggests that knowledge transfer and collaboration are difficult. In the context of a highly centralized water governance system in Romania, the National Authority for Water exerts power and influence in river restoration as well. It has numerous partners, both disconnected and well connected in the network, therefore, it tends to be connected to everybody, as well as gets and diffuses knowledge. Yet, other actors are willing to get involved in river restoration in Romania. NGOs and research organizations have a central position in the network and play various roles (e.g., unconcerned influencers, gate-keepers, pulse-takers). As a recommendation for governing river restoration in Romania, we urge the creation of a national programme focused on river restoration, where the call for projects would be coordinated by the National Authority for Water and open to its territorial subordinates in agreement with stakeholders from various sectors and domains.

Meanings of indigenous land-based healing and the implications for water governance

The continuous process of settler colonialism in Canada has profoundly impacted Indigenous Peoples' relationship with the Land and water, which holds immense significance in their healing journey. Reconnecting with the land and water through culturally rooted practices has far-reaching implications for the health and well-being of Indigenous communities. Maintaining a strong bond with the land and water is integral to Indigenous healing traditions. To gain insights into this connection we used a relational theoretical framework and engaged with Ministikwan Lake Cree Nation, a remote Indigenous community. Our approach centred around community-based participatory research, utilizing methods like deep listening, cultural camps and story-sharing to collect wisdom from community members, knowledge keepers, and Elders. The research findings show understanding the connection between Land-based healing practices and Indigenous-led water governance is critical to solving the water crises within remote Indigenous communities. This knowledge is indispensable for reshaping current water governance systems and ensuring the well-being of Indigenous communities across Canada.

Policy instruments for governing water in cross-border metropolitan areas, the case of Greater Geneva

ABSTRACT Governing transboundary waters is inherently a complex policy issue. However, when waters flow through multiple urban spaces (multiple cities in different countries), it presents a unique challenge to access and control. Policy actors employ a variety of policy instruments to govern such spaces and users’ water demands. Drawing from the case of Geneva Metropolis (shared between Switzerland and France), we explain how policy instruments are formulated to manage a combination of water sources. We answer two questions: (1) what type of policy instruments contribute to reaching transboundary water governance in Greater Geneva? and (2) What are the underlying drivers that led to the success or failures of implementing policy instruments at the transboundary level? Based on policy documents and closed-door interviews, we present various policy instruments that have been developed and implemented in the Geneva metropolis. We further argue that the underlying drivers, such as the existence of communities of practice, political willingness, the influence of civil society actors and the evolution of an anticipatory water governance system, have influenced the policy instruments’ success and failure. To conclude, this article calls for further research on comparing different cross-border metropolitan areas, focusing on processual aspects (development and implementation) of policy instruments.

Decolonizing Indigenous Drinking Water Challenges and Implications: Focusing on Indigenous Water Governance and Sovereignty

Indigenous Peoples in Canada have shown great strength and resilience in maintaining their cultures and ways of life to date in the face of settler colonialism. Centering the Water crises within Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination, we explore the impacts these crises have on community members. Particularly, the continuous failure of the Canadian government to end the Water crises in remote Indigenous communities, Star Blanket Cree Nation, is investigated in this paper. What implications have these Water governance gaps had on Indigenous Peoples’ sovereignty and self-determination? We adopted an Indigenist theoretical framework to guide the study. Additionally, a community-based participatory research approach was adopted. To achieve our research goals of investigating the implications of the current Water crises for Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination, specific methods of sharing circles were used to gather knowledge from community members, Elders, and knowledge keepers. The research findings strongly highlight the strength and resilience shown by remote Indigenous communities in the face of the current Water crises and continuous government failure. Solving the current Water crises will involve remote Indigenous communities taking charge of their own Water governance through Indigenous-led Water governance systems. Additionally, taking steps to rebuild trust through genuine reconciliation will be key. Therefore, listening to remote Indigenous communities and taking collaborative action are fundamental.

Inter and transdisciplinarity strategies for evaluating and improving water quality monitoring systems: Uruguay as a study case

Developing robust systems for monitoring and evaluating water quality is crucial for assessing ecosystem integrity and the impacts of human activities on nature. It also enables the assessment of water management effectiveness, governance systems, and the design and evaluation of public policies. However, designing such monitoring programs is complex due to multiple constraints like eco-hydrological knowledge, economic resources, human capital availability, and governance dynamics. This study combines quantitative and qualitative analyses (virtual watershed methodologies, empirical modeling, and theoretical frameworks of water governance) to evaluate the robustness of water quality monitoring systems and identify strengthening alternatives (including institutional design and public policy). The inter and transdisciplinary strategy is tested in the evaluation of eutrophication processes in Uruguay. Major spatial patterns of water quality at a national scale were identified, highlighting the influence of land use, soil types, point sources of pollution, and livestock on nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations. Current monitoring efforts and spatial coverage fall short of adequately addressing water management needs, especially in Uruguay's socio-economic context. Based on the weaknesses identified, an increase in the number of stations (and their spatial distribution) is proposed to have a better representation of biogeophysical and socio-economic conditions diversity. The challenge involves an important transformation (i.e. establishing a network system of public institutional nodes at national and regional levels) due to the country's centralism, fragmented water governance system, and scarce economic assets.

Agricultural water accounting: Complementing a governance monitoring schema with remote sensing calculations at different scales

Water use requires monitoring and quantification at different spatial scales to enhance water security, especially in regions facing water scarcity and threats to food security. Consequently, water metering has been implemented in various countries as part of water governance frameworks. This study aims to evaluate the implementation of a water metering network within the Chilean water governance system, which is based on the commoditisation of water through water rights. Additionally, it assesses the potential of supplementing the water metering network with remote sensing-based estimates of actual evapotranspiration (AET) and discusses the need to integrate these estimates into an appropriate water governance scheme. To conduct this study, publicly available water use reports were obtained from the Water Resources Directorate and subsequently processed to eliminate anomalies in the withdrawal time series. Water withdrawal data was supplemented with information on granted water rights to provide additional insights and contrast water allocations with actual withdrawals. AET estimates from the Mapping EvapoTranspiration at high Resolution with Internalised Calibration (METRIC) model using Landsat scenes were also acquired for the period from 2019 to 2022 to compare withdrawals and water demand in the agricultural sector. It was found that only a small fraction of water rights ( ∼ 2%) is currently being metered. Actual reported withdrawals, on average, amount to approximately one fifth to one fourth of the volumes granted through water rights. However, water extractions vary depending on geographical locations and usage categories. Remote sensing-based AET demonstrates a good correlation with withdrawals, suggesting its potential in auditing water withdrawal records provided by water users and calculating water availability and withdrawals at aggregated scales within an adaptive water governance framework. While different applications were explored within the Chilean context, these have a broader application in global water governance, particularly in regions experiencing similar challenges in water resource management.

Clean water supply and urban hygiene control in colonial Semarang, Indonesia

ABSTRACT This article discusses the endeavors of the municipality council of Semarang to establish a water governance system to tackle the crisis of safe water in the early twentieth century. The establishment of a water management system was deemed crucial owing to Semarang's transformation into an urban area with a heightened susceptibility to cholera outbreaks. The situation was further exacerbated by the increasing encroachment of the colonial population into Semarang from the late nineteenth century, coinciding with the surge in industrialization. Subsequently, a decentralized government of Semarang sought to address this issue since 1906, through the implementation of innovative technologies to produce safe water sources for public consumption and improving the water distribution system. Unfortunately, the series of programs proved insufficient in comprehensively addressing the socio-economic hurdles faced by the local community, as demonstrated by the continued exclusion of Semarang's disadvantaged population from adequate clean water access.

Framing a social network analysis approach to understanding reputational power in the water governance of Johor, Malaysia

Abstract The challenge of collaborative water governance often lies in the complexity of the networks involved in its processes, particularly in understanding the location of power and how the reputational power can be executed for policy decisions. A case study of the state of Johor, Malaysia, was done with the goal of figuring out a method for mapping out reputational powers in the network of actors involved in the water governance of the state. To achieve this goal, this study deconstructs the different facets of the state’s water governance system by outlining the spatial, operational, and legal boundaries of various agencies. The fundamental issues identified through this step are the complexity that leads to fragmented water governance. A research framework is thus proposed, derived from a qualitative approach whereby through in-depth interviews, respondents are asked to rank the water-related agencies based on their perceived influence. These rankings derived from qualitative interviews are given weights and subsequently measured using parameters such as density and in-degree centrality to provide quantitative evidence of the reputational powers held by actors in the water governance network. The study supports the future use of the reputational power research framework to achieve collaborative water governance solutions.

Freshwater and Federal Public Policies in Brazil, 2016-2023: dismantling and reconstructing

Water governance has been a subject of growing interest in the academic agenda since the 2000s: yet the Brazilian water governance system is still little analyzed. Water crises have multiplied in Brazil in the last two decades, magnified by climate change processes and governance shortcomings, calling for the attention of researchers and policymakers. This paper contributes to the existing literature on water governance by presenting a framework for analyzing water governance in Brazil, investigating recent changes in three Brazilian policies related to water governance, and exploring contributions from the international literature on policy dismantling as applicable to the Brazilian case. The approach adopted is qualitative and exploratory. From six relevant policy areas for water governance analysis - energy, environment (including climate change), water resource management, health, sanitation, and water security - we selected the policies on basic sanitation, water resource management, and conservation for focus. The results show that processes of policy dismantling occurred in the three policy areas analyzed during the period 2016-2022, associated with the backslide of democracy, and point out some challenges and reccomendations for their reconstruction.

Exploring the spatial structure and impact factors of water use efficiency in China

Improving water use efficiency is an essential strategy in the response to the global water crisis. The assessment of water use efficiency serves as the foundation for improving water use efficiency and water governance. Based on the mixed methods including Super-SBM model, GML index, spatial analysis, and Tobit model, this study assesses the water use efficiency from the scales of regional and provinces in China from 2011 to 2020, explores the evolution characteristics and spatial pattern of water use efficiency, and identifies the impact factors of water use efficiency. The results indicate that regional water use efficiency in China varies significantly by space, the highest in the eastern region with an average value of 0.8052, and the lowest in the central region with an average value of 0.5709. From 2011 to 2020, the average water use efficiency in China is 0.7042, which is in a low efficiency state, and roughly two thirds of the country's provinces use water inefficiently or ineffectively. In addition, regional differences of water use efficiency in China have a tendency of divergence and polarization. The technological progress change is the major factor for promoting water use efficiency. Economic development, water endowment, water use structure, scientific and technological development, and urban development have significant effects on water use efficiency in different regions respectively, while industrial structure and water governance have insignificant effects. This study supports researchers and practitioners in comprehending the characteristics and spatial patterns of water use in China, and also enriches the research system of water governance and integrated water resources management.

Hydropowering sustainability transformation: policy frames on river use and restoration in Finland

Hydropower, as a flexible energy source, has sparked renewed interest in the ongoing decarbonisation of the society. Simultaneously, a wider transformation of the socio-ecological system towards more sustainable practices of energy production is required. Our paper draws from the sustainable transformation theory and the concepts of transformability, hydro-social cycle, and aquatic regime to study a system of water governance and regulation in Finland. Our case study data consists of 16 semi-structured interviews and 207 news articles from Yle national broadcast company. We studied the policy frames to reveal how the water governance actors understand, view and make sense of future river use and restoration, and how they utilise the frames for strategic purposes. Results demonstrate that the future river use and restoration were framed by four modes of thinking: 1) hydropower as a ‘cultural trauma’, 2) restoring rivers and dam removal after hydropower construction and operation to improve ecological flows in rivers, 3) improving the social acceptance of hydropower and dam removal, and 4) improving the efficiency of the hydropower regime as a flexible source of power. Our paper shows that to enable pathways for socio-ecological-technical transformations of aquatic ecosystems further scientific scrutiny should be focused on reconciliation of the interest of river restoration, recreational uses of aquatic environments and the flexible energy function of hydropower in energy transition. Removal of migration barriers and small-scale hydropower plants and building fishways and bypasses are part of this transformation. Furthermore, the river regulation needed to give impoundment facilities the flexibility, causes changes in water levels which may be a potential source of conflict between riparian residents and hydropower operators. Therefore, more emphasis should be placed on water governance that recognises the local dynamics and interactions within the social-ecological systems.

The rhetoric of community participation in urban South African water governance

The persistence of the water insecurity challenge has manifested in weak government financial systems, insufficient technical capacity, and ineffective water governance systems in the global arena. This paper is a contextual analysis of community participation in water governance in urban South Africa since 1994. Limited community participation in urban water governance results in persistent inequality in access to water and sanitation services. New strategies and effective mechanisms are needed to include communities in water governance and pricing.

Environmental Policy Reform and Water Grabbing in an Agricultural Frontier in the Brazilian Cerrado

The spread of soy monoculture in the Brazilian Cerrado relies on land and water grabbing, although water appropriation is a least studied issue in the current literature. A mixed-methods approach was used to study changes in water use in western Bahia and the evolution of water and environmental standards over the last 20 years. The results show that the deregulation of environmental laws by the Bahia state Institute for the Environment and Water Resources (Instituto do Meio Ambiente e Recursos Hidricos, INEMA) has facilitated deforestation and water grabbing for large-scale irrigation by industrial agriculture. The social dynamics of struggles and resistance to this process was also analysed. The results show that water appropriation in the neoliberal agricultural frontiers of the Cerrado has changed not only water use and flows but also water governance systems, flows of power, and the representations that underpin them.

Evaluating the impact of different spatial linkages on forum outcome interdependencies in polycentric systems

AbstractIn complex polycentric systems, decisions regarding the governance of certain subsystems (e.g., watersheds) are often determined by networks of diverse actors who participate across a range of forums tackling interconnected collective actions issues (e.g., water quality, biodiversity, flood management). Compounding this structural complexity are the multifaceted interdependencies that exist between forums across a system. Drawing on the Ecology of Games Theory (EGT), this article investigates the impact of different types of network linkages on outcome interdependence between forums. Using a series of spatial autoregressive models on data collected in a Tampa Bay water governance system, I find evidence that co‐membership and organizational networks serve as pathways for outcome spillovers between forums. Building theory that helps elucidate how different types of network relationships may influence outcomes across a system is critical for the continued development of EGT and the governance of polycentric systems.

Adaptive Water Management: On the Need for Using the Post-WWII Science in Water Governance

Although the UN concluded, already in 1997, that water would be the most contentious issue of the 21st century, water governance is still confused, nearly everywhere. Even the severe impacts of escalating water bankruptcy and global warming have so far failed to incur a marked improvement in governance systems. The global community has adopted sustainable development as a common vision and guide for the future. Yet, the adoption of the underlying principles of sustainable development has been slow in the water sector and elsewhere. Despite the realization that water governance is a political issue, the near-universal neoliberal agenda tends to only employ technologic and economic solutions to address water problems. This paper presents a historical overview, from the end of the Second World War (WWII) and onwards, of events that could, or should, have had an impact on water management frameworks. It evidences some important consequences of the institutional rigidity exposed during that period. The paper also turns to the fields of science, policy, and management, to pinpoint failures in the translation of political rhetoric as well as new scientific findings into change at the operational level. It explores how an updated knowledge base could serve a quest for sustainable water governance strategies. It is argued that a persistent failure to learn is an important reason behind the dire state that we are now in. As a result, water management is still based on century-old, technocratic, and instrumental methodologies that fail to take advantage of important scientific advancements since WWII and remain unable to properly deal with real-world complexities and uncertainties. The paper concludes that when it is linked to a transformation of the institutional superstructure, adaptive water management (AWM), a framework rooted in systems thinking, emerges as a prominent way to embark on a needed, radical transformation of the water governance systems.

Honouring Water: The Mistawasis Nêhiyawak Water Governance Framework

Collaborative water governance in Indigenous territories requires the building of a nation-to-nation relationship where different water worldviews and knowledges are acknowledged, valued, and included in water governance. This article presents the Mistawasis Nêhiyawak Honour the Water Governance Framework, an alternative collaborative water governance approach in Saskatchewan, Canada. The Nêhiyawak principles, identity, knowledge, and self-determination are its foundation. Equitable dialogue is the central axis. The framework represents an alternative water governance structure to the current Canadian system that may more effectively respond to the water challenges of this First Nation. This framework supports the appeal from Mistawasis First Nation and other Nations, for the de-construction of hegemonic colonial water governance systems towards the co-construction of shared processes of water participation, decision-making, and responsibility.

The diagnostic water governance tool − supporting cross-sectoral cooperation and coordination in water resources management

In the search for solutions for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), decision-makers frequently face governance-related challenges such as the fragmentation of institutions, the interconnection with other essential services and overlapping competences. In many cases, solutions to these challenges involve strengthening coordination between different actors and sectors. Today different digital tools and resources are available to support related decision-making processes. These tools can (1) offer a context-specific assessment of the water governance system (“Diagnosis”) and (2) provide, in some cases, context-specific recommendations to tackle identified deficits (“Therapy”). In this paper, we aim to advance the understanding of the potential of digital tools for water governance and management assessments. After reviewing relevant tools, we introduce the Diagnostic Water Governance Tool (DWGT) that builds on a clear diagnosis-therapy-logic. After presenting the empirical basis and functional logic of the DWGT, we test the DWGT in two case studies: the Guadalquivir river basin in Spain and the Emscher river basin in Germany. We find that the DWGT provides context-specific, evidence-based instrument recommendations that can enhance water governance and management, albeit accompanying suitability evaluations by governance experts remain critical. We conclude by discussing the limitations of digital tools for water governance and management assessments and sketch out fields of future research.