Strengthening Water Resources Management in Afghanistan (SWaRMA)
Module 1: Principles and Approaches
By Ramesh Ananda Vaidya, Santosh Nepal and Neera Shrestha Pradhan

IWRM is a process which promotes the coordinated development and
management of water, land and related resources, in order to maximize the
resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without
compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems (GWP, 2000).
IRBM adapts principles of IWRM to a river basin or a lake basin context of
different scales. A basin level perspective enables the integration of
upstream and downstream issues, quantity and quality, surface water and
ground water, and land use and water resources in a practical manner
(UNESCO, n.d.)

• Fresh water is a finite and vulnerable resource .. .. ..
• Water development and management should be based on a participatory
approach .. .. ..
• Women play a central part .. .. ..
• Water has an economic value in all its competing uses .. economic good.
• Scarcity: “Failure to take the higher scarcity value of water into account in the
present will lead to an extra cost to society due to the extra scarcity imposed
on the future (Tietenberg, 1992:34).
• Participation: “is a process through which stakeholders can influence
and share control over development initiatives and the resources
used to fund them through engagement in decision making.” (Rogers,
Jalal and Boyd, 2008)

Malthus
(1798)
Adam Smith
(1776), David
Ricardo (1817)
19th century
industrial
revolution, Karl
Marx (1867)
Marxism in the
20th century USSR
John Maynard
Keynes (1936)
Modern
environmental
economics
Factors of
production
Land Land and the
natural
environment
(Natural
environment not
viewed as being
scarce)
The importance
of land and
ecosystems as an
economic factor.
Capital
(development of
the land and
nature
Capital Capital, capital
accumulation and
capital creation
Capital Capital
Labor Labor, which
transformed land
into real assets
Labor (Labor, as an input
into the process of
capital
accumulation only)
Labor, back into
the equation;
consumption
demand matters
Labor

Subtractability of use
High Low
Difficulty of
excluding
potential
beneficiaries
High Common pool
resources
Public
goods
Low Private goods Toll goods

Player 2
Strategy A Strategy B
Player 1 Strategy A 10, 10 -1, 11
Strategy B 11, -1 0, 0

• To ensure the sustainability of water, we must view it holistically,
balancing competing demands on it – domestic, agricultural, industrial
(including energy) and environmental.
• Sustainable management of water resources requires systematic,
integrated decision-making that recognizes the interdependence of three
areas:
• decisions on land use affect water and on water affect environment and
land us;
• decisions on our economic and social future, currently sectoral and
fragmented, affect hydrology and the ecosystems we live on;
• decisions at international, national, and local levels are interrelated.

• The overriding goal in water vision is sustainable human development ..
.. .. to be achieved through water-based regional cooperation .. ..
• .. .. the approach is holistic and multi-disciplinary and it calls for the
congruence of macro, meso and micro policies within each country and
their coordination across regional countries.
• Holistic approach: A holistic approach to management recognizing all the
characteristics of the hydrological cycle and its interaction with other
natural resources and ecosystems (GWP, 2002).

• .. .. .. Water must be used with maximum possible economic efficiency.
• The basic right of all people to have access to water .. .. .. must be
universally recognized.
• The present use of the resource should be managed .. .. .. not
compromising the use of the resource by future generations.

• Economic efficiency: Efficiency suggests “maximizing the present value of
net benefits to society.” (Tietenberg, 1992: 37)
• Sustainable development: development that “meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs.” (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987)
• Scarcity: “Failure to take the higher scarcity value of water into account in
the present will lead to an inefficiency or an extra cost to society due to the
extra scarcity imposed on the future.” (Tietenberg, 1992: 34)
• Fair allocation: “If an allocation is both equitable and .. efficient, we will say
that it is a fair allocation.” (Varian, 1987: 538)

• Roles and functions of
organizations at different
levels
• Institutional capacity
building
• Role of government
• Water legislation
• The cross-sectoral and
upstream-downstream
dialogue
• Financing structures and
investment allocations for
water resources
infrastructure
• Co-operation within
international river basins
• Water resources
assessment: availability
and demand
• Communication and
information systems
• Water allocation and
conflict resolution
• Regulatory instruments
• Direct controls
• Economic instruments
• Encouraged self-regulation
• Technology
Enabling environment Institutional roles Management instruments
Global Water Partnership, TWG, 2000

• Water Resources Strategy – Nepal in 2002
• National Water Plan in 2005
• Koshi River Basin Strategic Plan in 2011

• Objective: Water resource development, like any other national
development, should aim to contribute to improving the quality of life.
• Goal: Living conditions of Nepali people significantly improved in a
sustainable manner.
• Selected policy principles:
• Development and management of water resources shall be undertaken in
a holistic and systematic manner, relying on Integrated Water
Resources Management.
• Water utilization shall be sustainable to ensure conservation of the
resource and protection of the environment. Each river basin shall be
managed holistically.

Output 7: Enhanced water-related information systems are functional.
Activity 4: Establish basin-wide water accounting system.
Output 8: Appropriate legal frameworks are functional.
Activity 5: Establish equitable and functional water rights.
Output 9: Regional cooperation for substantial mutual benefits achieved.
Activity 3: Implement mutually beneficial development programs.
Output 10: Appropriate institutional mechanisms for water sector management are
functional.
Activity 3: Reorganizer and strengthen government institutions

Objectives:
To contribute in a balance manner to the
overall national goals of economic
development, Poverty alleviation, food
security, public health and safety, decent
standards of living for the people and
protection of the natural environment
Identified sectors :
• Water induced disasters
• Water supply and sanitation
• Irrigation
• Hydropower
• Industries
• Tourism
• Fisheries and Navigational Uses

- Transboundary river basin (China, Nepal, India)
- Total area of approx. 60,400 sq. km, of which approx.
46 percent (27,863 sq Km) lies in Nepal
- Population in Koshi basin districts approx 5,000,000
(Source: ISRC 2007/08 – projection of 2010 from
Census 2001)

• To utilize water and related resources optimally
• To ensure water availability for balancing human needs/demands and requirements
of the different eco-systems
• To ensure active involvement of all key stakeholders
• To address the impacts of climate change and natural disasters with peoples’
participation
• To undertake strategic decision-making at the river basin scale
• To enable upstream and downstream considerations for the management of water
resources

Climate Change
Adaptation
Economic
Efficiency
Ecosystem
Sustainability
Social
Equity
IRBM
Source: Global Water Partnership
Policy design and
institutional
development

Governance
Policy/Inst.
Framework
Management
Institutions
Activity
Sectors
(water uses)
Genderandinclusion
Povertyreduction
Food/watersecurity
Navigation
Energy
Agriculture
Industry
Floodresilience
WatershedMgt.
EcosystemMgt.
Prosperity
Feedback
Integrated approach
(source: GWP toolkit)
Social
Equity
Economic
EfficiencyObjectives
Ecosystem
Sustainability

up-stream down-stream

• Vision: Country’s largest river basin in the Eastern Himalayan landscape
of the world’s highest ecosystem with tremendous water resources is
safeguarded and ecosystem’s integrity is maintained while livelihoods
are improved and people’s rights over water and related resources are
ensured as well.
• Goal: The goal of KRBM is to improve the living conditions of the people
significantly in a sustainable manner in the KRB.

Outputs:
• diversification of water uses
• system improvements
• revenue generation
• sustainable operation and financing mechanism

Outputs:
• capacity enhancement
• participation and management
• monitoring water use and benefit sharing

Outputs:
• management of water-induced disasters
• water source protection
• water allocation to different systems
• management of freshwater ecosystem
• promotion of environment friendly measures
• improvements in the traditional water management

Outputs:
• hydrological and meteorological observation networks strengthened and
expanded.
• climate change adaptation (CCA) priorities and strategies at sub-basins
and catchments identified.
• local people’s initiatives on CCA and mitigation measures supported.
• coping capacity of the poor and marginal people strengthened.

Outputs:
• policy analysis and support
• establishment of River Basin Organization (Koshi), which include KRB
Office, sub-basin level offices, and Integrated Resource Management
Committees (IRMC) at key catchments
• capacity enhancement of Water and Energy Commission Secretariat
(WECS) staff
• capacity enhancement of RBO staff, including RBO, sub-basins and
IRMCs
• joint planning, monitoring, and evaluation
• collaboration and coordination

• Long-term investment: River basin-scale objectives cannot be tackled within the scope of
a typical three- or five-year project.
• Proper institutions in place: A long-term management framework, such as a river basin
commission or authority, is required to provide the stability and continuity for IRBM to
succeed.
• Slow results: It is important not to generate unreasonably high expectations of quick
results among partners and stakeholders who may become anxious and/or disillusioned if
progress is slower than expected.
• Balanced approach: River basin management should be based on a clear vision and
agreement for balanced utilization of water and other resources between livelihood and
ecosystem requirements.
• Effective partnership: Partnership building among various stakeholders including private
sectors should be an essential ingredient of IRBM.
• Knowledge based: River basin conservation must be built on realistic information,
scientific base and utilization of indigenous knowledge, experience and traditional
management practices.

Global water partnership, 2000

• Roles and functions of
organizations at different
levels
• Institutional capacity
building
• Role of government
• Water legislation
• The cross-sectoral and
upstream-downstream
dialogue
• Financing structures and
investment allocations for
water resources
infrastructure
• Co-operation within
international river basins
• Water resources
assessment: availability and
demand
• Communication and
information systems
• Water allocation and
conflict resolution
• Regulatory instruments
• Direct controls
• Economic instruments
• Encouraged self-regulation
• Technology
Enabling environment Institutional roles Management instruments
Global Water Partnership, TWG, 2000

Water is a key driver of
economic and social
development while it also has a
basic function in maintaining the
integrity of the natural
environment. However water is
only one of a number of vital
natural resources and it is
imperative that water issues are
not considered in isolation.
This is the rationale for the IWRM
approach that has now been
accepted internationally as the
way forward for efficient,
equitable and sustainable
development and management of
the world's limited water resources
and for coping with conflicting
demands.http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/iwrm.shtml

• 17 SDGs goals are
related to water directly
or indirectly
• 8 SDGs require an
increased supply of safe,
secure and reliable
water.
• 6 SDGs address social
justice and equity in
access to forests and
water
• 3SDGs build and
maintain an ecological
infrastructure that
support
• 14 SDGs by adapting to
climate change and
securing ecosystems
At a river basin level, it is very important that all these aspects highlighted in the
SDGs are tackled in an integrated way.

The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) is a partnership of 10 African
nations through which the Nile flows. It was formed to promote the
sustainability of the Nile River, by sharing the resources of the river to control
food production, trade, and hydropower. The countries involved in the NBI are:
Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan, Eritrea, the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and Egypt; these 10 countries have agreed to
put aside their history of conflict in support of the initiative and in hopes that
they can work in cooperation with one another for a common goal
GWP, TAC 4, 2000
https://www.mtholyoke.
edu/~emwether/worldpo
litics/Wep%20Pages/Nile
-Basin-Initiative.htm

RIVER BASINS & CRYOSPHERE 39
Thank you