Bridges and Barriers to Adaptive Capacity - Climate Change and Water Governance: Adaptive Capacity in Chile and Switzerland - page 210

Scale Barriers Bridges

Lack of capacity (financial and time constraints) to carry out longer
term assessment of data concerning river levels to assess glacial
melt impacts on water balance throughout the summer season (i.e.
to establish whether the hydrological balance still mirrors
provisions in the law for irrigation use); lack of capacity in
cantonal administration also provides challenges for the enforce-
ment and implementation of federal laws, and the canton can only
define a set of priorities

Self-assessment on whether the institutional structures in place
in the Valais are 'fit for purpose' not only for water
management challenges now, but it the future (leadership &
Centre de Competence de l'Eau)
Emergency monitoring and reaction units (CERISE) create
linkages between canton level and commune levels. While
canton level institutions fulfil monitoring and warning roles,
liaison with commune level leaders allows responses to be
implemented quickly at the local level (evacuation if
necessary), but with the coordination and additional
informational capacity at the canton level
Despite sectoral organisation, and lack of general coordination,
attitudes to cooperation are seen as generally good, allowing
common solutions to be found to water management
challenges and common visions to new challenges to be
drawn up at the canton level
Plans in place at canton level law makers (Kantonale
Gewässersanierungs Plan) to restore and clean up waterways
in a poor ecological state due to hydropower activities, to
increase ecological resilience. The types of water withdrawals
which are affected by the law are clearly defined in the law
(WPA Art 80). Details of requirements and status of
implementation are available online
Priority projects (TRC) enjoy privileged and direct links to
canton leadership (Conseil d'Etat), coordination with the
adjoining partner Canton (Vaud) as well as commune
representatives, creating both top down and bottom up links

Focus on the Rhône Corrections meant that other areas of river and
water management were not given as close attention and
individual projects tended to replace more comprehensive
resource planning
Enforcement of regulations and legislation within the communes is
difficult for the canton
Institutional fragmentation of different aspects of water quality
monitoring - while the canton is responsible for organising the
monitoring of the groundwater (vorkommen) in the Rhône valley,
the communes, as owners of the sources/springs (quellen) are
themselves responsible for the (Ausscheidung der
Quellschutzzonen) monitoring of the quality of the springs
(Qualitätsüberwachung)
Limitations in ability to implement full spectrum of environmental
and social considerations in the TRC, due to constraints from past
planning decisions (i.e. no space for the river) and opposition to
non-traditional flood protection measures (i.e. not just digging
deeper into the river bed and strengthening dykes)

(continued)