Water Resources Management - Practices of Irrigation and On-farm Water Management - page 176

planning, management and development as one way of ensuring that decision mak-
ing occurs at an appropriate level. This third theme highlights the significance of
empowering local communities in water management, and other types of resource
and environmental management.
Water resources management is the vector sum of a progression of legislation,
policies, regulations, engineering practices and institutional traditions. Changes in
how we manage our water resources are often motivated by each flood, drought,
environmental disaster, or human health threat. All of these changes could be
directed toward what we today might label sustainable development. Added to that
are numerous cross-cutting and overlapping “programs” and “initiatives” designed
to achieve sustainability in many areas of water resources and environmental
protection.
From all of this activity, how do we determine the “right path,” the “correct strat-
egy” or the “optimal future?” What is or should be sustainable and what need not
be sustainable? How do we account for the inevitable and profound effects of future
technological developments, which may mitigate many of the adverse effects of
current unsustainable practices? With the exception of the loss of species, what
other resources are vulnerable to irreversible decision? Of all the possible strate-
gies, which is the “best” for a location, is best for a state or country? What are the
goals, and who should decide them? How would a water resource project, or water-
shed development strategy that is planned under sustainable development principle
compare to one planned under the best of current planning and evaluation prac-
tices? Would there be a difference if the planning is for growth versus development?
Is there a fundamental distinction between sustainable development strategies in
“growing economics” versus the “developed economics?” There are many more
questions like these that need answering, before we can say that we understand the
ramifications of sustainable development and begin to truly implement sustainable
development principles and goals.
The sustainable development paradigm seems to be advocating not so much for
a different planning paradigm but rather for an extended set of evaluation factors
- different criteria and weights on objectives to reflect a perceived shift in public
preferences. One can formulate all the visionary, creative features for sustainable
development that can be accommodated by computers and human imagination.
Sorting through these possible features for water management requires a planning
framework and a replicable set of evaluation criteria that should be common to all
resource management agencies.
In many situations, the overall goals of conserving environmental and natural
resources and alleviating poverty and economic injustice are compatible and mutu-
ally reinforcing. However, there will always be conflicting views on how these
goals can be met. Trade-offs will have to be made among the conflicting views and
objectives. The challenge for political leaders and professional resource managers
is to make the best of situations that will require difficult decisions and choices if
sustainable water resources management is to be achieved.
It is clear that there are many unanswered questions related to the sustainable
development and management of any renewable or nonrenewable water resources