Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
water governance in June 2009. They identified as a major research priority,
the need for at least 10 to 12 independent, objective and reliable case studies
of good governance that could form a community of good practices from
which countries trying to improve water governance can learn. They could
identify the enabling environment and critical factors that contributed to
their success. Countries or cities could then choose which aspects of each good
practice would be most suitable to incorporate in their own water governance
strategies (Biswas and Tortajada 2010).
International conventions guide conduct between nations. Within nations
core water management principles need to be adopted in legislation and
policies to not only meet international obligations, but also to 'do the right
thing' domestically. The next section reviews some prominent examples of
country-level policies and legislation.
National agreements, legislation and policies
Since the early 1990s, there has been a rapid progression in development of
policy by countries at the national level to address sustainable management
of water resources. Some 'stand-out' national initiatives are set out below.
Given our Australian experience and global recognition that Australia has
taken comprehensive initiatives to address water resource planning (UNEP
2012), we briefly describe the vertical linkages and evolution in thinking
about water management in Australia, with particular examination of the
National Water Initiative and changing institutional arrangements for the
Murray-Darling Basin. We follow up with another 'star' in the show: the
South African
National Water Act 1998
.
Australia
The Rio Convention in 1992 reflected an enhanced standing of the natural
environment in public policy. It triggered change in Australian environ-
mental policy, delivered initially through an Intergovernmental Agreement
on the Environment (1992) and Strategy for Environmentally Sustainable
Development (1992), followed by strategies for water quality, biological
diversity, water for ecosystems and agreed approaches to impact assessment
over the years (Table 2.3). One of the key drivers was the inherent variability
of the resource which has meant that 'human actions to produce a secure
water supply have had a profound impact on natural ecosystems' (Crase
2008a: 257).
A cornerstone for advancing water resource planning was the Water Reform
Framework in 1994. To foster a faster pace of reforms in 2004 the National
Water Initiative (NWI) committed the State governments to a programme
of actions, accompanied by incentive payments. Much clearer direction was
given for water resource planning (see Box 2.2).
