Methodological Assessment of
Integrated Water Resources
Management (IWRM)
David Essaw
Centre for Ecological Economics and Water
Policy Research
University of New England
What is IWRM?
 Universal Framework
 Definition of IWRM
 Four universal principles.
Four Universal Principles
 Fresh water is a finite and vulnerable
resource
 Water development and management should
be based on a participatory approach
 Women play a central part in the provision,
management and safeguarding of water
 Water has an economic value in all its
competing uses
Big Question?
 How can Integrated Water Resource
Management
(IWRM)
present
a
conceptual framework and methodology
through which to facilitate effective
feedback and adaptive management
responses to water reform processes
aimed
at
integrated
economic,
environmental
and
community
outcomes?
Application of IWRM in the
Study Areas
 Assess the goals of IWRM and compare with
water resources management (WRM) in case
study areas to see how WRM might be
improved.
 Assess what the promise of IWRM is for case
study areas in terms of processes aimed at
integrated economic, social and community
outcomes.
Approach
 The theoretical aspects
 Develop an improved IWRM framework for
planning processes with practical tools.
 Test the proposed methodology across two
very different community settings: Australia
(Shepperton Irrigation Region) and Ghana
(Savlugu –Nantom Irrigation Region)
Expected Outcomes
 The compare and contrast approach should thus
reveal both generalisable and location-specific
elements of the IWRM planning processes.
 Lessons and best practices from these case
studies will inform articulation of an ideal
framework that can be used to implement
GWP/IWRM agenda.
 Tools and processes developed in this study
might lead to improved capacities for
communities and other stakeholders to respond
proactively to change