Adopt river basin development planning at the national, regional, and local levels, and integrate economic and
social sectors with the sustainable development and conservation of water and other biological resources.
Prepare a national river basin resource profile and inventory, followed by preparation of a national policy
to provide the framework for basin and sub-basin development plans. Establish national and basin-level
institutional mechanisms to achieve integrated development of major river basins, including the capability to
allocate water among users, demand-side water management, flood control, and socio-economic development and environmental protection. Institute
computerized, real-time monitoring of water use in heavily regulated rivers.
Adjust water pricing to reflect total impacts consistent with efforts to improve the efficiency of water systems.
Correcting prices may require a complex set of incentives or disincentives. Key issues regarding political problems
associated with necessary cost and cross-subsidies will also need to be addressed. All users should pay for the true cost of
water resources, including the environmental and social costs. Costs would cover both the cost of providing the
water and the cost of wastewater disposal. Cross-subsidies for basic domestic water use may need to be
instituted for the poor.
Privatization of water supply and wastewater management services in major urban centers and industrial
zones may be encouraged, but only after proper pricing reforms are in place. Public-private partnership can be a
source of financing.
Transfer legal rights over shallow subsurface water to communities and users. Keep government rights to deep
aquifers (which are often not renewable). Integrate groundwater policy with general water resource policy, and undertake institutional
reforms in accordance with such policies. Charge groundwater users the same amount as surface water
users and avoid subsidizing energy use for extraction.
Require downstream beneficiaries (such as irrigation farmers, flood plain residents, estuarine fishermen, and
aquaculture farms) to compensate upstream watershed managers, who undertake legally binding watershed
protection activities and forego more profitable but damaging activities. The transfer payment, based on
locally appropriate mechanisms, could include land tax premiums, increased water tariffs, or direct contractual
arrangements.
Adopt integrated coastal zone management to achieve sustainable development in coastal areas. Delegate
planning and management of coastal areas to the local level. Integrated coastal management involves resource
inventory and monitoring, macro- and local-level resource use zoning, preparation of local management
plans congruent with national policies and guidelines, and creation of local planning and
management institutions under the local government.
Promote regional cooperation for contingency planning and control of episodic oil spills (this is also applicable
to environmental emergencies). Provide technical knowledge and equipment to deal with hazardous wastes and other
dangerous pollutants.
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