Water Management Institutions Research Articles

Impact of institutional overlapping on water governance of Himalayan City, Nainital, India

ABSTRACT This article investigates the current institutional arrangement concerning water governance in Nainital, India, located in the Western Himalayas. It assesses the availability of water resources, the functioning of the supply system, and sheds light on the role of institutions in managing water resources, supply, and distribution. Through qualitative methods (such as focus group discussions and key informant interviews with officials from water management institutions, citizens, etc.) supplemented by a literature review, the study reveals a complex network of institutions and stakeholders involved in water management. This complexity results in overlapping jurisdictions, leading to accountability gaps and various issues. The study identifies that in Nainital, existing institutions operate independently, impacting water governance in terms of water supply, resources, and environmental aspects. Considering the fragile biophysical environment of Nainital, the study also recommends integration of nature-centric approaches into institutional frameworks, which can be helpful in improving the resilience of water systems and promoting sustainable water governance

Comparative performance assessment of pilot irrigation schemes in Uganda

Irrigation schemes across sub-Saharan Africa are constructed with the intention of increasing agricultural production to increase food security, reduce poverty and improve economic growth. However, most of these schemes are not performing as expected. This study therefore, diagnosed performance gaps in the pilot irrigation schemes of Mubuku and Doho in Uganda and analysed sustainable improvement options. Data was collected through systematic review of literature and scheme data, direct measurements at the schemes, field surveys, inspections, and key informant interviews. For each scheme, data for climate, irrigation, flow measurements, crop yields and farm gate prices were collected. Comparative indicators of agricultural output, water supply, financial and physical sustainability were used to assess scheme performance using standard approaches by International Water Management Institute (IWMI). The findings showed that the schemes were not performing optimally with crop yields being far below the attainable potential. The major contributing factors to the low performance were low water use efficiency and low agricultural output. Poor flow control, poor water distribution, and poor on-farm water application contributed to low water use efficiency. Low agricultural production was attributed to poor crop yields resulting from poor agronomic practices, poor irrigation scheduling and low produce prices. The financial self-sufficiency indicator pointed to farmers’ inability to operate and maintain irrigation schemes effectively. Improving the irrigation schemes performance requires a multidisciplinary approach targeting the improvement water use efficiency and agricultural output.

Water Resources Conservation in Bali: A Non-cooperative Game Theory Approach

Entering the 21st century, the world faces a global water crisis threat, due to increasing competition for freshwater which is an implication of economic growth, population growth, and climate change. Therefore, institutions that can secure the availability of water resources sustainably are urgently needed. In contrast to the tendency of research in the last two decades, which was dominated by experimental methods, this research studies local institutions in Bali called Subak using game theory as a reasoning method. Water management was analyzed using three economic frameworks namely, institutions, transaction costs, and contracts, to reveal how water institutions in Bali are managed. This study found that there are strong social norms that can maintain trust, act as a coordinating medium, eliminate transaction costs, and enforce contracts. Furthermore, the study also discusses the failure possibility of the current government intervention system because the capitalist production function alienates the value of water from its production system. Empirical research through experiments is very important, however, economics has a set of theories that can be used to predict or develop incentive mechanisms within an institution. The social norms that were found in this study can be used as a basis for the design of clean water management institutions at the village or community level with public participation.

Evaluation of Water Balance and Water Use Efficiency with the Development of Water-Saving Irrigation in the Yanqi Basin Irrigation District of China

Irrigation water is the main type of water consumption in the Yanqi Basin irrigation district of Xinjiang, which is an oasis-type irrigation district in the arid region of Northwest China. With the continuous expansion of cultivated areas, there is an increasing demand for irrigation water, resulting in an irrigation efficiency paradox and the phenomenon of “the more water-saving, the more water-scarce”. In this study, the water balance method and the improved IWMI (International Water Management Institute) water balance method were used with remote sensing and statistical data from 1980 to 2020 to analyze the changes in the irrigation water supply, consumption, and loss for improvement in irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) in the Yanqi Basin. The results showed that there was an upward trend in the cultivated land area in the irrigation district of Yanqi Basin, as monitored with remote sensing from 1980 to 2020, and the values from the remote sensing data were higher than those from the yearbooks. According to the remote sensing data, the arable land area in the irrigation district increased from 1672 km2 in 1980 to 2494 km2 in 2020, thus showing a trend of expansion. The traditional water use efficiency in the irrigation district showed an increasing trend. The lowest value for the field water-use coefficient was 0.70 in 1998, and it exceeded to 0.81 from 2009 to 2020. The canal water-use coefficient was as low as 0.50 in 1998 and increased from 0.54 in 2009 to 0.82 in 2020. The irrigation water-use coefficient increased from 0.35 in 1998 to 0.68 in 2020, with a general upward trend. In this study, the water consumption ratio indicator DFg (depleted fraction), determined using the improved water balance method, increased from 0.8390 in 1980 to 0.8562 in 2020, although it showed an overall decreasing trend, and the average was 0.8436. Cultivated land’s actual irrigation water consumption per unit area reached the highest value of 8.41 × 106 m3/hm2/a in 2011 and the minimum value of 4.01 × 106 m3/hm2/a in 2020, and from 1980 to 2020 it showed a decreasing trend, while the total water diversion showed an increasing trend due to the continuous expansion of arable land. From 1980 to 2020, water diversion into the irrigation district changed from 1.214 km3 to 1.000 km3, and it reached a maximum of 1.593 km3 in 2000; water diversion into the irrigation district showed an overall upward trend. The positive impact of the post-2000 water conservation phase with the adaptation of water-saving irrigation technology was clear, as the findings showed an increase in IWUE in the Yanqi Basin irrigation district. These results provide a theoretical basis for breaking the paradox of irrigation efficiency, which can be used in the water resource management of irrigation districts.

Catalysing the realisation of rainwater harvesting systems through participatory action research

Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is one the most salient methods in urban water management for creating an additional water supply in times of drought and combating urban floods in the face of climate change. Instalment of RWH systems has become compulsory by national legislation in Türkiye since 2021. However, previous research shows that there are a variety of barriers to implementing RWH, including legislative regulations, technical dimensions, financial mechanisms, societal adaptation and governance dynamics. Taking this as a point of departure, this research explores necessary actions to overcome those barriers in collaboration with relevant actors, aiming to catalyse the realisation of RWH systems throughout the research process. The research adopts a participatory action research (PAR) methodology, generating knowledge that is meaningful for urban planning systems and water management institutions involved in RWH installation and operation. The research explores the necessary actions through the case of Istanbul, the largest metropolis of Türkiye. Respectively, a set of workshops, focus groups, in-depth interviews, and group meetings were implemented in parallel processes with different actors from the public and private institutions at local, regional, and national scales. The findings highlight the need for (i) legislative actions for constructing a thorough regulatory framework, (ii) financial actions for introducing new incentives and pricing policies, (iii) technical actions for developing installation and operation standards, (iv) societal actions for igniting a cultural change for the use of RWH in the society and (v) governance actions for RWH systems. The research establishes a communicative environment that showcases the feasibility of collaboration and emphasizes the importance of its continuous implementation in establishing a decentralised governance mechanism involving all actors.

Civil engineers need the right skills and mindset to create sustainable living

Terry Fuller, chief executive of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, says civil engineers have a great responsibility and opportunity to create more sustainable living. But they need the right skills and mindset to seize opportunities for environmental gain.

Decomposing the Institutional Structure of Interstate River Basins Using Institutional Grammar and Institutional Analysis and Development Framework

Rules play a core role in building a water management institution. However, the rules for water resource regulation in subnational interstate river basins remain inadequately explored. Furthermore, a lack of tools for detailed and systematic analysis of these rules hinders water managers from developing better water management strategies. Accordingly, in this paper, we combine institutional grammar and the institutional analysis and development framework’s rule typology to identify the formal rules regulating the water resources of Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) and generate insights regarding the characteristics and key actors in the MDB’s institutional structure. Specifically, we study the position, boundary, choice, aggregation, information, scope, and payoff rules that regulate water in different MDB contexts. Overall, the MDB’s institutional structure emphasizes the choice and information rules that control actors’ actions and the availability of information. Aggregation rules, which regulate collective action, are found in every context. Nevertheless, the composition of the identified rules differs across the basin’s contexts, indicating that the focus of the basin’s institutional instrument differs across situations. We further analyze choice and aggregation rules to investigate the basin actors’ roles and interdependencies. The results reveal that decisions concerning administration, water distribution, monitoring, and infrastructure development are made collectively, except with respect to basin plan development, where decision-making is the responsibility of a single actor. Our proposed approach can therefore be used to thoroughly analyze any complex interstate institutional water structure. Overall, our findings foster a comprehensive understanding of the structure of interstate water institutions while facilitating the development of a systematic water institution analysis tool.

Scrutinizing the Hydrological Responses of Chennai, India Using Coupled SWAT-FEM Model under Land Use Land Cover and Climate Change Scenarios

This study implemented a coupled SWAT-FEM simulation model to evaluate the impacts of land use land cover and climate change scenarios (LCS) on the water resources of river catchments in Chennai, India. The land use land cover data were obtained by merging the source data from National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) and International Water Management Institute (IWMI). Climate change simulations were obtained from four global climate models (GCM), including GFDL Baseline Scenario (1981–2000), GFDL A1B Scenario (2081–2100), CCSM4 Baseline Scenario (1986–2005), and CCSM4 A1B Scenario (2081–2100). The LCS predicted temperature increases of 2.32 °C and 1.74 °C for GFDL and CCSM4, respectively, by the end of the century. The water use predictions suggested increases above 20% in the utilization of water by 2100, inferring the noticeable dynamics of inter-annual as well as inter-month variability in water resources in the river basins of Chennai soon. The study is novel through its implementation of a coupled modeling approach to improve the practicality of the SWAT-FEM model and to deliver useful projections of land and climate change impacts on hydrological responses. The results provide useful insights into how the variability in climate conditions alters the spatiotemporal water responses in catchment scales.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice in Water Dialogues: A Review and Conceptualization

AbstractIn the United States, the lack of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) in water governance and management has been identified as a serious problem that affects the validity of decisions. Because water governance and management institutions, processes, and practices at all scales involve dialogue, it is important to understand DEIJ in water dialogues. This paper reports on the results of a systematic literature survey that was undertaken to guide efforts by The University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center to improve diversity and inclusion in its engagement practices and outreach strategies. Three questions are explored: 1) How is DEIJ defined, conceptualized, and measured in water dialogues?, 2) How does a lack of DEIJ in water dialogues affect water‐related outcomes and actors?, and 3) What are the approaches that can be used to increase DEIJ in water dialogues, especially with respect to underrepresented groups? The review synthesizes definitions of DEIJ and examines theories and methods from the literatures on discourse, diversity, social learning, and environmental justice. The lens of dialogue focused these disparate literatures on how people with diverse voices can be engaged and enabled to effectively participate in water dialogues. Despite the paucity of DEIJ literature relating to water resources in general, and to water dialogues more specifically, the review identified characteristics of DEIJ, factors that contribute to DEIJ issues, general lessons, and pathways that apply to increasing DEIJ in water dialogue participation. Further, this paper articulates a conceptual framework for understanding and addressing DEIJ failures in water dialogues. A concept of “just water dialogues” emerged that integrates insights from the literature reviewed with notions of environmental justice to help with identifying and resolving “water dialogue justice” (i.e., DEIJ failures). Review results suggest that DEIJ in water resources dialogues depends on the distribution of knowledge resources, and on broader issues that include cultural, political, and other often ignored contextual factors. Importantly, addressing DEIJ problems through the creation and maintenance of just water dialogues requires tackling power imbalances, enhancing individual and organizational capacity, and building bridges through effective engagement of diverse voices, especially those of underrepresented groups. Strategies that have demonstrated effectiveness in other contexts are highlighted, and future research needed to improve practices to enhance DEIJ in water dialogues is outlined.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Groundwater Access and Its Management: Making the Invisible Visible

The sustainable management of groundwater resources is required to avoid a water crisis. The current study focused on a bibliometric analysis of groundwater access and management to assess research progress. The study was based on data from Dimensions.ai generated using the search terms “Groundwater”, “access”, and “management” for the period from 1985 to 2022. A total of 534 documents were identified as relevant and retrieved in CSV format. The intellectual structure of the retrieved data was visualized and analyzed using VoS viewer software (version 1.6.18). The analysis showed that the field of earth sciences had the highest number of publications on groundwater access and management (358), followed by the environmental sciences (155). Most of the articles (267) were about Sustainable Development Goal 6, which focuses on ensuring access to clean water and sanitation. The co-authorship analysis for the countries indicated that the United States has the most impact and research, and all other countries have established clusters around it. The citation analysis of the organizations showed that the International Water Management Institute, Charles Sturt University, and Wageningen University and Research were the top three organizations in terms of total citations (825, 611, and 584, respectively), indicating the most effect. The citation analysis for the sources indicated that the “Water” journal had a greater impact on readers with respect to groundwater research. Numerous parties are involved in the groundwater investigation; hence, a broad multidisciplinary approach is required. Therefore, researchers should work together rather than alone to address the problem of sustainable groundwater management.

Assessment of a Tidal Marsh Irrigation Area Based on the PAKSI-PU

This research intends to investigate the evaluation of existing tidal marsh irrigation areas based on the PAKSI-PU currently in effect in Indonesia. However, the tidal marsh irrigation is needed for the modeling of tidal marsh irrigation performance, which is necessary for developing this type of irrigation. This research is conducted in Terantang irrigation area, South Borneo Province, Indonesia. The methodology consists of literature study for determining the reliability condition of infrastructure facilities; survey or reliability parameter measuring water supply, irrigation management, management institutions, and human resources; and verification of survey or measurement results. The performance of an irrigation area is an indication in the scheme to illustrate the management of irrigation system and based on the performance indexes of the irrigation facilities after the development and rehabilitation. Generally, the development of tidal marsh in the future has to meet three conditions that are technically is easy to be implemented and can be accepted by society, economically is feasible and profitable and does not damage the environment so the natural resources is remain maintained. The result shows that based on the recommendation of the document, if it is reviewed from the performance condition and classification which the criteria due to the excellent performance is from 80 until 100%, good performance is from 70 until 80%, less performance is from 55 until 70%, and bad performance is less than 55%; so there is about 93.6% of 70 unit of IKSI data is in the condition of less until bad; only 6.4% is in the good performance. These results are very needed to support the tidal marsh irrigation performance. Keywords : assessment, tidal marsh, Terantang, PAKSI-PU. https://doi.org/10.55463/issn.1674-2974.50.4.12

The Limiting Indicator of Variables in the Performance Index Modeling for Simple Waterworks

This research intends to evaluate a variable scheme based on the condition of a simple waterworks system in the Brantas river area to obtain the variables that influence each other. This research was conducted in 30 water sources that are distributed in the Brantas river area such as Batu, Malang Regency, Blitar Regency, Jombang Regency, Kediri Regency, Nganjuk Regency, and Tulungagung Regency. The methodology consists of identifying the affected variables to the bron-capturing and to evaluate the indicators that are influenced the variables, then to conduct the statistic test of the indicators to the variables. The research indicators about the performance index model of simple waterworks are obtained through the partial least square (PLS) method. The PLS method is used for evaluating the influenced relationship among the variables that are used in this research, such as the variables of technical, social, and management aspects. The technical aspect consists of physical infrastructure, service, operation, environment damage, and maintenance; the social aspect consists of economy and socio-culture conditions; the management aspect consists of water management institutions, human resources, and monetary aspect. Based on the t calculated analysis of the inner model, where t variable statistic of the technical aspect is 11.632, the social aspect is 3.017, and management aspect is 4.665, each variable has the t calculated higher than t critic (1.682) due to the level of significance (α) = 0.05 or the p value of 0.000, and it is less than the critic value (0.05). Based on the regression analysis, it can be concluded that the technical aspect has the most effect (72.1%) on the performance index model of simple waterworks in the Brantas river area. The second biggest effect is the management aspect (26.7%) in influencing the performance index model of simple waterworks in the Brantas river area. Then, the lowest effect is the social aspect (15.1%) in affecting the performance index model of simple waterworks in the Brantas river area. This result is necessary for supporting the performance index modeling of simple waterworks. Keywords : indicator, variable, bron-capturing, waterworks. https://doi.org/10.55463/issn.1674-2974.50.2.9

An empirical assessment of the institutional performance of community-based water management in a large-scale irrigation system in southern Mexico

Understanding irrigation performance by focusing on its institutional dimension can help improve water use and smallholder farmers' livelihoods. While many studies have evaluated the institutional performance of small-scale, farmer-managed irrigation systems, virtually no empirical studies have evaluated the performance of community-based water management institutions in large-scale irrigation systems with non-governmental bureaucratic administration. This study aims to fill this gap using a mixed-methods research design combining ethnographic work and a quantitative survey of 81 smallholder farmers' from four community institutions (ejidos) in an irrigation district in Chiapas, southern Mexico. While the management model implemented in the transfer of Mexican irrigation districts to users consisted of a bureaucratic administration entirely in the hands of contract agents, this study reveals the essential role of community institutions in local water management. However, although all four communities use water from the same irrigation district, the results revealed significant differences in the institutional performance of irrigation management. Using the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework developed by Elinor Ostrom, We showed that these differences could be explained by the biophysical attributes involved in irrigation (irrigation technique, access to groundwater resources, location of the water intake) and community characteristics (social capital and group size). The study recommends that water managers involve communities in the creation of farmers' associations, which could increase their social capital and thus the performance of local irrigation. Furthermore, the results suggest that farmers' views on the institutional performance of irrigation management should receive more attention in the large-scale irrigation system with bureaucratic administration. This knowledge can be particularly useful to improve the different levels of organization and thus water governance of irrigation districts in Mexico.

Water Law Reforms in Central Asian Countries: Recent Trends and Developments

Abstract Sound policies and enforceable water legislation are key to transforming water management under the increasing water demand and climate change. In recent years, diverse water regulatory frameworks have evolved in the Central Asian countries to regulate the management and development of water resources and the provision of water services. This paper provides an overview of the Central Asian countries’ water legislation with focus on water management institutions at national, basin and local levels, introduction of economic mechanisms in water use and management as well as provisions related to human right to water and the environmental protection. Based on the resultant insights, the paper identifies five recent trends and areas for further improvement, including the need to (1) strengthen water regulatory frameworks as a part and parcel of the overall political and economic transformations in the countries; (2) reform water institutions with a clear focus on the sector performance and foster coordination between different stakeholders; (3) enable context-specific arrangements for workable basin and local water management; (4) address the issues of human and environmental needs on water, which are becoming increasingly important under the impact of climate change, industrialization, and urbanization; and (5) expand the effectiveness of economic mechanisms in water use and regulation to ensure cost recovery and investment flow into the sector.

Integrated water resources management in an urban concept: results from water smart cities and water management institutions in Slovakia

Integrated water resources management in an urban concept: results from water smart cities and water management institutions in Slovakia

Enabling widespread use of rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems: challenges and needs in twenty-first-century Istanbul

ABSTRACT Water supply has been a chronic challenge in Istanbul since its foundation. Authorities have sought alternative methods since the Roman and Byzantine periods. Cisterns, channels and wells surveyed in urban heritage sites in Istanbul provide evidence of rainwater harvesting (RWH) as a working solution in the past. However, RWH systems have only been utilized in contemporary plans and policies very recently, particularly since the climate change crisis entered the political agenda in Turkey. Taking this as a point of departure, this paper investigates the challenges of widespread implementation of RWH systems in Istanbul through a participatory inquiry with water management actors. Challenges and needs are explored through a set of in-depth interviews and participatory workshops with representatives from water management institutions. The findings reveal that current challenges are related to planning and development, legislation and governance, financing, society, infrastructure, installation and operation of systems. The potential solution is the establishment of a governance mechanism that enables collective action among relevant actors.

Optimising Water Management in Drylands to Increase Crop Productivity and Anticipate Climate Change in Indonesia

In the future, Indonesia will become increasingly dependent on dryland agriculture. New adaptive technology innovations able to transform drylands into arable land throughout almost the entire year have been developed to anticipate global climate change in tropical areas. This article reviews the results of research on the importance of climate and water management technology to increase the crop index and productivity in Indonesia. We found that irrigation treatment at 80% of the FAO-recommended rate resulted in the highest maize stover yield (around 13.65–14.10 t h−1). Irrigation treatment at 60% of the FAO-recommended rate for soybeans (at 0.24 L s−1 h−1) produced good-quality soybean seeds. The use of existing water resources can increase the planted area from 1.25 to 1.67 and increase the cropping index during the second planting season in the same area. Agricultural systems based on water management can improve their crop index and productivity, and anticipate climate change to increase farmers’ incomes and wellbeing. Support measures in the form of regulations, legislation, acts, programmes, and policies from central and local governments for land use and management are crucial. The development of infrastructure by establishing water management institutions at the village/farmers’ group levels to allocate irrigation water is a leverage point to develop dryland agricultural systems appropriately and judiciously to assist in sustainable development.

Effect of different irrigation methods on productivity of maize in vertisols of Northern Karnataka

Field experiment was conducted to know the response of different surface irrigation methods for maize at Water and Land Management Institute Campus, Dharwad of Northern Karnataka during 2013-14 to 2015-16. The study revealed that, the increase in grain yield was 16.05 and 6.00 per cent in alternate furrow irrigation and in conventional furrow irrigation, respectively over flooding method of irrigation. The saving in irrigation water was to the extent of 32.10 and 10.83 per cent, respectively in alternate furrow irrigation and conventional furrow irrigation over flooding method of irrigation. The water productivity was 20.66,14.34 and 11.96 kg/ha-mm in alternate furrow irrigation, conventional furrow irrigation and flooding method of irrigation, respectively. The increase in water productivity was 72.27 per cent in alternate furrow irrigation over flooding method of irrigation and 19.54 per cent in conventional furrow irrigation as compared with that of surface flooding method. The gross benefit-cost ratios were 2.94, 2.675 and 2.53 in alternate furrow irrigation, conventional furrow irrigation and flooding method of irrigation, respectively. The increase in net income per ha-mm of water used was 87.93 and 24.38 per cent, respectively in alternate furrow irrigation and in conventional furrow irrigation over flooding method of irrigation.

Intercomparison of Estimates of Reference Evapotranspiration of Surat Region of Gujarat, India

Evapotranspiration is a vital parameter for irrigation planning and management, and for hydrological and climatological studies. This can be estimated by using Blaney-Criddle (BC), Thornthwaite (TW), Hargreaves (HG) and Penman-Monteith (PM) methods. Out of these methods, BC and TW are known as temperature based whereas HG is radiation based and PM is based on Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report on crop water requirements. This paper illustrates a study on comparison on estimates of reference evapotranspiration (ETo) obtained from temperature, radiation and FAO based methods for Surat region. The meteorological data such as air temperature, relative humidity and sunshine hours observed at Surat region for the period 2001 to 2016 is used. In addition, the wind speed and solar radiation data is downloaded from the International Water Management Institute website and used in estimation of ETo using PM. The performance of the methods used in estimation of ETo is evaluated through regression analysis by developing a linear regression between the observed and estimated values of ETo using BC, TW and HG, and FAO based PM. The results of linear regression analysis indicated that there is a good line of agreement between the observed and estimated ETo using PM with CC of 0.968 when compared with those values of BC, TW and HG. The study show that the PM is better suited amongst four methods applied in estimating the ETo for Surat region, Gujarat.

Supporting evidence-based decision-making: Capacity Building through Research

Abstract Lack of data inhibits informed decision-making and is a critical challenge in developing countries, many of which are under-resourced in financial, technical and institutional capacity to collect and analyse the required data. This limits the countries’ ability to achieve development goals and keeps them dependent on the provision of external resources. Development initiatives often treat capacity building and research as two separate tracks of development. While efforts have been made in the health sector to combine these through project-based learning, this approach is relatively unexplored in the water sector which by its inter-sectoral nature stands to benefit significantly from a more collaborative and solution-oriented development strategy. Capacity Building through Research (CBtR) facilitates data collection and analysis by local researchers, mentored by international experts, strengthening local capacity to produce credible evidence able to inform sustainability-related decision-making. Five case studies piloting CBtR are discussed here and evaluated through criteria of the Dutch Strategy Evaluation Protocol framework. CBtR is shown to be a long-term strategy that requires the strengthening of cross-disciplinary networks to enhance the capacity of water management institutions, which likely contributes to more efficient evidence collection and analysis suitable for decision-makers, leading to greater national resilience and reduced need for external support.