By: Zofie C.
Photo from: Dreamstime. Creative commons.
As populations grow and global warming causes bodies of water to shrink each year, water becomes an increasingly scarce resource. Only 2.5% of the world’s water is freshwater (USGS), amounting to approximately 8.3 million cubic miles of water. This water must then be distributed to more than 7.6 billion people, and that figure is taken under the assumption that everyone in the world has adequate access to water (spoiler alert: they don’t). According to the United Nations, more than 700 million people around the world suffer from water scarcity and inadequate access to freshwater. They estimate that by 2025, 1.8 billion people could be living in areas that suffer from absolute water scarcity, and that an additional two-thirds of the world’s population might be living in areas that have strained access to water resources (UN). This dire prediction indicates a massive problem with the use and preservation of water that has immediate repercussions on the lives of billions of people worldwide.
Photo from: Fotolia © c_irochka
In the United States alone, 1.7 trillion gallons of water are wasted each year as a result of broken water mains and leaks, amounting to $2.6 billion of lost water (Columbia Water Center). The United States is just one out of 195 countries in the world, and, while large, makes up only a fraction of water consumption worldwide. This example of wasted water in the United States is a symptom of a much larger problem of water waste and misuse all over the world.
Photo from: USGS
This brings the conversation to integrated water resource management (IWRM). Integrated water resource management (IWRM) is a critical part of the distribution and planning for the use of water around the world. It “promotes coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources to maximize the economic and social benefits while minimizing impacts on the environment” (American Planning Association). IWRM approaches the water storage, drainage, distribution, and purification system as a whole entity. This method comes in stark contrast to the traditional methods of water resource management, which frequently separate the different functions down into parts and allow them to function individually without regard to the rest of the system. IWRA’s methodology also takes into account other impacts on water systems, such as energy and land patterns.
IWRA is fundamentally underlaid by four pieces. These four pieces are “stormwater management, wastewater treatment, water supply, and conservation of existing water sources” (American Planning Association).
Stormwater management consists of traditional gray infrastructure (man-made systems of controlling water), as well as natural infrastructure, and is intended to help deal with stormwater runoff and the pollutants, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, that accompany it.
Examples of natural/green infrastructure that
can be used for stormwater management. Photo from: EPA
Wastewater treatment, the second piece, is critical to preventing pollutants from reaching groundwater or surface water sources. Wastewater treatment systems do this through a complex process of filtration that allows them to remove pollutants from the water before it is released back into the cycle.
Biological wastewater treatment system.
Photo from: Samco.
Though pretty much self-explanatory, the third piece, water supply, is the part of the system that concerns itself with moving, storing, treating, and distributing water. It also enables people to make predictions and solve problems regarding future demands on water supplies.
An example water supply system.
Photo from: EPA.
The final piece, conservation of existing water sources, is also vital to the equitable distribution and sustainability of the world’s water supply. The conservation “measures address both indoor and outdoor water usage through regulations, education, outreach, and incentives,” (American Planning Association). All of these pieces are both important and necessary, as they allow a comprehensive approach to water resource management. IWRM is imperative to the conservation, equitable distribution, efficiency, and sustainability of water.
Circulation of water.
Photo from: The University of Tokyo
IWRM also incorporates 3 important social principles in its methodology: economic efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability, as seen in the image below. These principles help to further the goals of IWRM because they lay out clear values that can be achieved through the implementation of IWRM to water management systems around the world.
Principles underlying IWRM goals.
Photo from: UN, Hassing et. al
Specifically, these principles are as follows: 1. Promoting the goals of both developing and managing water resources by creating an environment that enables governments to implement policies, legislation, and strategies that will further those goals, 2. Helping governments and institutions create and implement those policies, legislation, and strategies by building an institutional framework that will assist them in doing so, and 3. Assembling teams and other management apparati as necessary to allow the institutions that are part of the framework to function (Hassing et. al). These pillars have not only helped to establish a list of water-related social priorities and goals for the international community but also are flexible enough to adapt when necessary to fit the needs of different countries. They create leeway for social change through the implementation of new systems of water management, fostering equity, efficiency, and sustainability.
Additionally, according to Hassing and his colleagues, IWRM can help with other issues such as adapting to climate change, stabilizing food production, facilitating joint efforts in the management of freshwater and coastal water, and establishing sustainable water infrastructure, amongst a host of other development issues. The potential worldwide implementation of IWRM has positive implications for the future resolution of environmental, social, and economic issues that are associated with the widespread mismanagement of water resources.
In 2014, almost seven years ago at the time of this article’s publication, the UN put out a call to action for IWRM, saying that as demand for an ever-decreasing water supply increases, “the traditional fragmented approach is no longer viable and a more holistic approach to water management is essential.” IWRM was as important then to implement then as it is now, especially in light of the fact that IWRM is the most sustainable, equitable, and economical way to meet the increasing demand for water. Now, it is even more critical. In 2018, only 19 percent of countries were fully achieving IWRM policy goals, though 80 percent had the foundation for a medium-low implementation of IWRM (UN Environment). It is time to speed up the transition to fully integrated water resource management. Water is an incredibly undervalued but precious resource, and the splintered approach to water resource management that for so long has been employed by governments worldwide must be left behind in favor of IWRM. By implementing IWRM and thus resolving many of the problems associated with the inadequate management of water, it will be possible to create a more equitable division of water resources, continue to improve environmental sustainability, and rise to meet the ever-increasing demand for water all over the world.
Discussion Questions:
Many countries lack adequate access to clean, drinkable water. What are some actions that organizations such as the United Nations and governments across the world can take to make water more accessible to these places?
The UN specifically highlights economic efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability as principles that can be furthered through the implementation of IWRM. Other than what was listed in the article, how else do you think IWRM can help further these goals?