Home 
Publications Catalog Online Publications ADB Review Article
Doing Things BetterEffective development and management of water resources require the consultation and participation of all stakeholders—with government leading the wayBy Wouter Lincklaen Arriens( wlincklaenarriens@adb.org ) and Angel Alejandrino
|
EVERY VOICE COUNTS Good water resources management requires participation and transparency
Governments play a central role in water governance and are responsible for setting the overall policies and laws for developing and managing water resources.
The Global Water Partnership defines water governance as “the range of political, social, economic, and administrative systems that are in place to regulate the development and management of water resources and the provision of water services at different levels of society.”
However, effective water governance requires the consultation and participation of stakeholders from all sectors, government agencies, water users, service providers, and civil society, and at all levels of the decision-making process.
The current water crisis has been seen as mainly a crisis of water governance. Delegates at the 2nd World Water Forum in the Hague in March 2000; the 2000 United Nations Millennium Assembly; the Bonn 2001 Freshwater Conference; and the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg — where water was placed on the agenda for the first time—pledged to institute reforms in the water sector to improve governance.
Governance is also central to ADB's Water for All policy. ADB has committed through its policy to promote decentralization; build capacity; and strengthen monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning at all levels, particularly in public sector institutions.
The water policy also promotes accountability, participation, predictability, and transparency—the cornerstones of ADB’s governance policy.
The policy suggests a framework for improving water governance that includes strategic policy actions that can be classified into three areas: creating a favorable enabling environment for reforms, restructuring the institutional framework to ensure the integration and coordination of all activities, and developing and implementing the management instruments for effective water governance.
The enabling environment for effective water governance consists of the basic laws, policies, and regulations for developing and managing water resources, which governments provide through legislative and executive actions.
Considering the huge investments required to develop water resources projects, governments will increasingly rely on the private sector to provide additional investment.
The enabling environment should attract private sector investment without compromising the rights and assets of all stakeholders: government, private sector, and the public.
Among the strategic policy actions that would enhance the enabling environment are those related to water legislation on quantity, quality, conservation, service delivery, and institutional responsibility; water policy as a framework for development and management; the decreasing role of government as a service provider and more focus on policy making and regulation; service providers that are responsive, autonomous, and accountable; private sector participation to attract investments, improve performance and efficiency; and resource and economic regulation.
The institutional framework includes the roles and relationships among the various water agencies, at all levels of the bureaucracy, involved in developing and managing water resources.
In all countries, the authority and responsibility for developing and managing water resources belong to the State as represented by the head of state, parliament, or a central government agency, depending on the form of government. This basic policy of governance is usually enshrined in the constitution or some other form of the fundamental law of the country.
In some countries that have adopted a policy of decentralization, the authority and responsibility of the State is devolved from the central level to the lowest appropriate level of the bureaucracy. The principle is nothing should be done at a higher level of government that can be done at a lower level.
Among the strategic policy actions to ensure an effective institutional framework are those related to an apex body as the central national agency to coordinate planning of subsectors and planning across sectors, including decentralization; river basin organization, or such other regional models for decentralization and devolution of activities; and local government units as models for decentralization and devolution of water supply, sanitation, and other activities.
The management instruments are the tools and techniques that enable decision makers to make rational and informed choices between alternative actions that would make governance more effective. These choices should be based on agreed policies, available resources, environmental impacts, and social and economic consequences.
The management instruments may be grouped into water resources assessment, communication and information systems, water allocation and conflict resolution, legal instruments, and economic instruments.
Proposed government efforts to improve water governance include creating a favorable enabling environment for reforms, restructuring the institutional framework to ensure the integration and coordination of all activities, and developing and implementing the management instruments for effective water governance.
ADB is well positioned to be a catalyst to improve water governance in its developing member countries. Water projects supported by ADB may incorporate some of the policy actions outlined in its Water for All policy.
The combined and concerted efforts of all stakeholders will bring about the necessary changes to improve governance in the water sector.
However, strategic policy reforms take time to develop and must be adapted to rapidly changing environments. To be successful, a prudent, measured approach may be necessary with countries prioritizing proposed actions rather than trying to change everything at once.
Find out how ADB and its partners address the problem on water in the Asia-Pacific region
Visit our Water site
© 2008 Asian Development Bank Privacy | Terms of Use |
 Top of page |