Integrated Water Resource Management In The Kurdistan Region

This book examines the current economic practices of water management in the Southern Kurdistan Region (SKR) and suggests ways to change environmental conditions to encourage the region's decision-makers to pursue sustainable resource development through interstate and within Kurdistan Region KRG-consumers' co-operation. The focus is on: making a comparative study of water resources between Iraq, its neighbouring countries, MENA and the world averages; conducting a sector analysis to identify and quantify available water resources, the needs and sub-optimality in their uses; analysing current allocation of water and quantifying and suggesting necessary reductions in wasteful use of water resources; designing water policies and suggesting measures that improve regional water planning and management practices; developing techniques and models in the projection of demand, supply and future utilisation patterns and quantification of the water gap; suggesting alternatives for provision of water to areas facing scarcity on the basis of sustainable long-term and minimum cost solutions; suggesting necessary mechanisms for approaching interstate co-operation and for participating in the building of inter-regional institutions; proposing economically and environmentally optimal practices for within region and interstate co-operation and resource management; suggesting opportunities for increased government investment in the development and management of the water market.

The basic concepts of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) and the normative, strategic, and operative dimensions of the process are explained in simple, unbiased terms in this guide. Twelve case studies illustrate the scale and scope of river basin organization in different parts of the world--from local projects such as the Gagas River Basin to larger, transboundary basin work on the Mekong and the Rhine. Environmental considerations, institutional arrangements, and implementation processes are also highlighted to increase understanding of these concepts within the context of IWRM.

The book includes seventeen excellent researched and documented papers that reflect the diversity of thought, ideas and experiences related to IWRM. They draw from an extensive, inclusive and geographically representative range of theoretical propositions and practical examples. These include the implementation status of the IWRM concept at local, basin, regional and national levels; its appropriateness for the twenty-first century; main implementation gaps from the institutional, legal, policy, governance, management and technical viewpoints; the likelihood that IWRM’s entrenchment in laws, regulations and policies has led to smoother implementation and the reasons why that has been the case; reflexions on whether the attention given to IWRM is pushing other alternatives to the policy periphery; and the new conceptual constructions that can be put forward for discussion in the international arena. For the development and water communities it is imperative to debate and reach towards more illustrative conclusions regarding whether the promotion of the IWRM concept and its actual implementation status have been beneficial for development and how the notion could evolve to achieve this end. In-depth objective and constructive discussions, arguments, proposals and ideas are put forward for analysis by all interested parties. The book has the objective of fostering scholarly exchange, encouraging intellectual debate and promoting the advancement of knowledge and understanding of IWRM as a concept, as a goal per se and as a strategy towards development goals. This book was published as a special issue of the International Journal of Water Resources Development.

This book presents the results of an interdisciplinary research project that was set up to introduce Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) at the Zayandeh Rud, Central Iran’s most important river. As a result of climate change and a missing overall concept for sustainably managing water resources, the river has repeatedly dried up in recent years. Not only has water stress led to severe conflicts among the water using sectors and neighboring provinces, it also threatens important ecosystems in the region. Thus, the joint development of an IWRM concept for the Zayandeh Rud catchment was the main objective of the project. Comprehensive technological and non-technological measures – ranging from wastewater reuse to capacity development – were adjusted to local conditions and implemented in order to initiate an integrated, iterative IWRM process. The design of a technology-based Water Management Tool (WMT) served as the connective link to create trust, cooperation and coordination among the stakeholders and institutions.

Better water management will be crucial if we are to meet many of the key challenges of this century - feeding the world's growing population and reducing poverty, meeting water and sanitation needs, protecting vital ecosystems, all while adapting to climate change. The approach known as Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is widely recognized as the best way forward, but is poorly understood, even within the water sector. Since a core IWRM principle is that good water management must involve the water users, the understanding and involvement of other sectors is critical for success. There is thus an urgent need for practical guidance, for both water and development professionals, based on real world examples, rather than theoretical constructs. That is what this book provides. Using case studies, the book illustrates how better water management, guided by the IWRM approach, has helped to meet a wide range of sustainable development goals. It does this by considering practical examples, looking at how IWRM has contributed, at different scales, from very local, village-level experiences to reforms at national level and beyond to cases involving trans-boundary river basins. Using these on-the-ground experiences, from both developed and developing countries in five continents, the book provides candid and practical lessons for policy-makers, donors, and water and development practitioners worldwide, looking at how IWRM principles were applied, what worked, and, equally important, what didn't work, and why. Published with the Global Water Partnership

The Kurds, once marginal in the study of the Middle East and secondary in its international relations, have moved to centre stage in recent years. The contributors to The Kurdish Question Revisited offer insights into how this once seemingly intractable, immutable phenomenon is being transformed amid the new political realities of the Middle East.

The need for an integrated management of water resources has derived from the emerging understanding that the water crisis cannot solely be regarded as a hydrological crisis. Instead, it is frequently defined as a crisis of governance, as institutional and management scarcity are hindering a sustainable, equitable and efficient use of water resources. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is internationally accepted as a toolbox to achieve these objectives. However, implementation of the IWRM-approach is still lacking, especially in developing countries and transitional economies. This study poses the central question of what kind of governance is necessary to achieve an integrated management of water resources. Evaluating the concept from a regional perspective, three case studies have been conducted in Yemen, Jordan and Syria to identify the main governance challenges during the IWRM-process and develop strategies on how to meet them, aiming to improve the practical applicability of the theoretical framework of IWRM in the Middle East.

This study takes stock of the current water resources management in Armenia, including diagnosing the main sub-sectors (agriculture, urban, environment, and energy), reviewing the institutional framework and implementation status of water-sector policies, identifying the main challenges and making recommendations on the next steps.