Strengthening water management agencies

Improving institutional capacity for water management

Description

Strengthening water management agencies involves enhancing institutional capacity, coordination, and accountability to ensure effective planning, allocation, and monitoring of water resources. This strategy addresses fragmented governance, inadequate enforcement, and resource mismanagement by improving staff training, data systems, stakeholder engagement, and regulatory frameworks. The practical intent is to enable agencies to respond efficiently to water scarcity, pollution, and competing demands, thereby safeguarding sustainable and equitable access to water for all users.

Context

Existing administrative structures will often be quite capable of achieving local water resources management, but the need may arise for new institutions based on the perspective, for example, of river catchment areas, district development councils and local community committees.

Implementation

This strategy features in the framework of Agenda 21 as formulated at UNCED (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), now coordinated by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and implemented through national and local authorities. Agenda 21 recommends strengthening the functioning of governments in water resource management while, at the same time, giving full recognition to the role of local authorities.

Claim

Institutional capacity for implementing integrated water management should be reviewed and developed when there is a clear demand. Although water is managed at various levels in the socio-political system, demand-driven management requires the development of water-related institutions at appropriate levels, taking into account the need for integration with land-use management.