1. Sustainable Development: Water Resource Management
Shannon Iype

2. What will be covered?
Definition of Sustainable Development and Water Resource Management
Goal of Water Resource Management
Problems That Have Led to the Need of Water Resource Management
Ethical Theories
How to Implement Water Resource Management

3. Definitions

4. What is Sustainable Development?
Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
2 key concepts:
Needs: The essential needs of the world’s poor, to which priority should be given.
Limitations: Imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs.

5. What is Water Resource Management?
Can be defined as the implementation of best practices for effective quantitative and qualitative planning, development, distribution, and utilization of water.
Foundation is conservation, or reducing water use through improved operation of existing equipment and processes.

6. Why do we need Water Resource Management?
The world’s resources are finite, and growth that is unmanaged and not sustainable will lead to increased poverty and decline of the environment. 
We owe it to future generations to find paths of development that will effectively balance progress with awareness of its environmental impact.

7. Goals

8. Goal of Water Resource Management
Equity
Necessary for a peaceful society.
It is about just distribution of “goods and services, wealth and income, or opportunity and disadvantage.”
If the resource in distribution is in abundant supply, equity is not an issue; if, however, supply is scarce, the question of distributive equity is an issue.
Sustainability
Human development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

9. Goal of Water Resource Management
In order to conserve water to help alleviate poverty, hunger, malnutrition, and diseases afflicting billions of people, moral codes, appropriate institutions and technologies which are established and implemented in a coherent and integrated fashion, are increasingly needed to ensure sufficient, adequate and equitable access to water. 

10. Problems That Have Led To the Need for Water Resource Management

11. Water Scarcity
Water scarcity can be categorized into economic and physical water scarcity.
Economic
Human, Institutional, and financial capital limit access to water even though water in nature us available to meet local demands.
Physical
Although physical scarcity of water is challenging to overcome through conservation and water resource management tools, economic policies can be modified to provide water to those who face scarcity despite presence of water resources.

12. Background
Large parts of the world are already experiencing significant water shortages or stress, and the situation is likely to worsen as global populations, economies, and consumption rates continue to grow.
During the past century, the global population has tripled, but our use of water has increased six-fold.
Quality of available water resources has been degraded through human activities, including the excessive use of agrochmicals and the release of untreated sewage and industrial wastewater.

13. Background
Climate change is already changing precipitation patterns, with increased risk of droughts and floods and changes in the seasonality of runoff.
While dams are essential for generating power, storing water and controlling flooding, they also trap sediments and lead to subsidence and erosion of productive deltas.
Water is being pumped from costal aquifers and groundwater sources faster than it is being replenished, a practice that is clearly unsustainable.
Two-thirds of the world’s major river basins have no international treaties to govern their use, while most of Africa’s transboundary water resources lack effective institutional arrangements.

14. Statistics
1.1 billion people worldwide – 1 in every 6 – do not have access to clean water.
1.8 million children die every year from waterborne diseases – 1 every 15 seconds.
40 billion hours have been spent each year in Africa to collect and haul water.
5.3 billion – two-thirds of the world’s population – will suffer from water shortages by 2025.

15. Stresses on Freshwater
Unprecedented demands for water supplies.
Includes agriculture (irrigation and drainage), the provision of domestic water supply and sanitation, industry, energy production, changes in patterns of consumption as a result of industrialization, rural/urban shifts, migration, and unaccounted for water.
All are seeking to maximize the stream of social and economic benefits from a limited resource base.

16. Water Resource Management Problems
Physical Problems
Poorly developed water supply and wastewater treatment facilities.
Incomplete water monitoring systems.
Water Pricing Problems
Lower water prices -> excessive water use in agriculture
Organizational Problems
Integrated Water Resources Management has not been fully implemented in most of Asia and the Pacific.

17. Asia and the Pacific Region
Asia has heavy monsoons, rice fields, etc, so it seems to be a very green place unlike Africa with massive water shortages.
However, more than 100 million people in South East Asia and the Pacific lack access to safe water and 185 million are without access to safe sanitation.
Estimated 80,000 children die in this region each year from diarrhea caused by dirty drinking water or ingesting toilet germs.
35 million are exposed on a daily basis to elevated levels of arsenic in their drinking water in Bangladesh, resulting in health deterioration and shortened life expectancy.

18. Reasons for Water Crisis in Asia
Climate change
Rapid Industrialization and Urbanization
Continuing population growth
Mismanagement of water resources
Future water crises will not come because of actual physical scarcity of water, but instead would likely be caused by continuing neglect of proper wastewater management practices.

19. African Countries
The poorest communities are are usually the last to be served by municipal water utilities.
A situation that usually forces them to gather their own water often from polluted sources, with their health threatened by contaminated water and improper sanitation.
Purchase water from vendors at process higher than what is paid by the privileged that are connected to the municipal supply system.

20. African Countries
The World Health Organization estimates that over two billion people worldwide are infected from schistosomes, which are often found in contaminated water in developing countries, particularly Africa.

21. African Countries
As water is becoming increasingly scarce and the costs of extracting water from new supply sources are escalating, countries must focus on both supply and demand sides.
Water can no longer be supply driven or managed through technical and engineering solutions to capture, store, and deliver it.

22. Pollution Can be defined in a few ways
The appearance of some environmental quality for which the exposed community has inadequate information and is thus incapable of an appropriate response.
The introduction by humans, directly or indirectly, of substances into the environment resulting in deterious effects as harm to living resources, hazards to human health, or hindrance to particular activities.

23. Pollution “Control” Oldest method of pollution “control”
Principle of infinite dilution of wastes
Using this form of pollution control has contaminated the main sources of water for many countries.

24. Pollutants that Threaten Water Supplies
Most widespread pollutant, especially in underdeveloped countries, is the discharge of raw sewage into natural waters.
In the developing world, more than 90% of sewage water is discharged directly into rivers, lakes, and coastal waters without any kind of treatment.
Agricultural runoff is a significant source of pollution in some parts of the world, along with urban storm water runoff and chemical wastes dumped by industries.

25. Ethical Theories

26. Duty Ethics
There is an ethical obligation/duty on water providers to ensure adequate water quality.
The obligation to protect water from pollution is shared by all who contribute to pollution.
In duty ethics, the reason’s purpose is to bring about good, and ensuring clean water would bring about good.

27. Rights Ethics
Everyone has inherent rights, such as health, liberty, and possessions.
Water is basic for humans because it is implied by the right to life, food, and health, as stated from the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Welfare/Claim Rights
People have a right to receive clean water.

28. Virtue Ethics
Decision makers and stakeholders should have the 4 cardinal virtues when dealing with water resource management.
Prudence: They should have good judgment when deciding what policies and institutions should be used.
Justice: Instead of being driven by economic benefits only (self-interest), they should think about society and their right to having clean water.
Fortitude: If pollution and other problems effect the adequate and equitable access to water, they should be able to confront the problems and develop a solution.
Temperance: If decision makers have good character, they will do what Is right for society.

29. Consequentialism
Water is a fundamental part of the environment and one of the most important lively resources.
We have to protect it from abuse, mismanagement, and waste in order to ensure adequate water.

30. Utilitarianism
Scientists, stakeholders, and decision makers can play important roles in alleviating water scarcity based on ethical judgment.
The people with scarce amount of water or those with unsanitary water would be much happier.

31. Relativism Hard to apply to water resource management.
What is right depends on the context such as the person, culture, or tradition.
“What’s right for you may not be what’s right for me.”
However, it’s generally accepted that clean water was effective management of water for future generations is right for everyone.

32. How to Implement Water Resource Management

33. Roles of Experts, Stakeholders, and Decision Makers
Experts should have stronger environmental concerns due to their deep understanding of the nature of water resources.
Should take responsibility to advocate, educate, and propagate ethics, and help the decision makers and public build up the consciousness of protecting the environment.
One dilemma is that experts are often highly specialized, so they have a narrow interpretation of what the issue is.
Interdisciplinary collaboration is needed to bring all elements together.

34. Roles of Experts, Stakeholders, and Decision Makers
If they take their social and environmental responsibility, adopt water saving technologies, recycle water resources, follow and respect natural rules and protect the environment (water resources) self-consciously, then managing resources will be easier.

35. Roles of Experts, Stakeholders, and Decision Makers
Have the responsibility to combine the ethical institutional considerations into the policy making, and design water institutions, which are both economically efficient and compatible with the ethical principles.
Take into account the needs of all the sectors that use water.

36. Modeling Method
Water resource models have been used to inform decisions about water supplies, ecological restoration, and water management in complex regional systems.
Every single major water resource planning and management activity in the world today, whether focused on flooding problems, reservoir operation, groundwater development, water allocation, or aquatic ecosystem enhancement, includes models.

37. Integrated Water Resources Management
There is a compelling case for adopting integrated water resources management approaches.
Should be conducted within a national economic framework as a key element in sustainable economic development and poverty alleviation.
Management can provide for
Reconciling equity and efficiency in the allocation of resources, provision of water services, and protection of the resource base.
Promoting the use of best practices and appropriate technologies for managing water demand and supply.

38. Need for Water Laws
A credible legal framework for water is vital to achieving water security.
It provides a clear system for addressing specific issues of shared water development and management and identifying legal rights and obligations in water use.

39. Need for Water Laws
Water laws ensure compliance and help resolve disputes (since transboudary water issues are a common cause of conflict).
Worldwide, there are at least 300 international water agreements, often among parties at odds. Demonstrates the potential of shared water resources to foster trust and promote peace.

40. Management Strategies
Policymakers need to give more attention to demand management and changing the behavior of people through incentives, regulations, and education to reallocate existing supplies to higher-value uses, promote efficient use through conservation, and facilitate more equitable access.

41. Management Strategies
Build awareness at all levels.
Build capacity including:
Strengthening participatory frameworks
Promoting community ownership and management
Developing operational monitoring and evaluation procedures

42. Management Strategies
Promote an enabling environment through:
Continuously monitoring and evaluating policy and action plans
Declaring a water policy with explicit recognition of basin and aquifer management
Ensuring effective regulation
Adopting appropriate instruments for allocation

43. Management Strategies
Cope with variability and change including
Structural and non-structural solutions for flood damage reduction
Reducing impacts of flooding on inhabitants of affected areas
Developing programs for drought preparedness

44. Management Strategies
Promote regional cooperation through:
Developing approaches to international management but building on a sound national base
Adopting cooperative strategies

45. Actions to Implement Management Strategies
Countries need to develop profiles of current freshwater management, identifying the factors that impede progress toward integrated water resource management
Starting from a local level, there is a need to:
Design appropriate water resource and environmental management strategies.
Strengthen the capacity of communities in the management of their water resources

46. Actions to Implement Management Strategies
Develop estimates of national water expenditures and benefits to assist in setting priorities.
Adopt technologies for water conservation, re-use, and improved efficiency in irrigation.
Support water monitoring

47. Change and Motivation
Water security has multiple dimensions, including social, humanitarian, economic, and ecological. Major decisions on water resource management must be made.
Finding sustainable solutions for water problems is a joint obligation for science and policy; however science cannot solve the water crisis without societal engagement and political will.