INGENIEUR
Characteristics of Integrated Water
Resources Management
Beginning in the 1990s, the importance and
common safeguarding vision of water resources
has been recognised globally. A series of
international conferences in water and the
environment took place, which emphasised water
sector problems and a number of approaches
to overcome the identified issues. The concept
of IWRM was formally established in these first
three events; the Global Consultation on Safe
Water and Sanitation for the 1990s in New Delhi,
1990; the International Conference on Water
and the Environment in Dublin, Ireland, 1992;
and the United Nations Conference Environment
and Development in Rio de Janeiro, 1992. Table
1 depicts the international events in promoting
sustainable development of water resources. The
fundamental principles for the concept of IWRM
were set out at the International Conference
on Water and the Environment held in Dublin in
1992. The Dublin principles were an attempt to
concisely state the main issues and thrust of water
management. The four principles are elaborated
in Table 2. The concept of IWRM contrasts with
fragmented water resources management.
Thus, the integration can be considered in two
categories which are natural systems and human
systems as shown in Table 3.
In recent years, it has become increasingly
evident that the water resources issues of a
country can no longer be addressed by single
6
22
VOL
- MARCH 2016
VOL65
55JANUARY
JUNE 2013
a water agency alone but other parties such as
private sectors, NGOs and local communities
have to be involved. In addition, there are
interconnections with other development issues
and with social issues such as poverty alleviation
and regional income redistribution (Biswas, 2004).
The cross sectoral integration of water resources
planning and development was suggested by GWP
(2004) and all of these have involved different
levels of stakeholders. Government is recognised
as the facilitator to coordinate the interconnection
between stakeholders. However, this must
be supported by an enabling environment to
coordinate Government, private sectors, NGOs
and local communities in adopting IWRM. GWP
(2003) further stated that it requires a significant
change in existing interaction between politics,
laws, regulations and institutions. Politicians
are in an influential position to trigger water
governance reformation (e.g. laws and institutions)
but lack of awareness and knowledge on the
stakeholder sides may impede effective water
governance reformation. Low (2009) stated that
one of the critical factors found hampering the
implementation of IWRM in Malaysia was the
inadequacy and under provisions of educational
and training programmes. Likewise, water
managers can only embed the IWRM process in
the country when supported by other stakeholders
such as private sectors, NGOs and local
communities. Thus, the capacity of Government
policy makers is important in making effective
changes in water governance. Capacit