248 International Water Resources Association Water International, Volume 29, Number 2, Pages 248���256, June 2004 ��� 2004 International Water Resources Association Integrated Water Resources Management: A Reassessment A Water Forum Contribution Asit K. Biswas , Past President IWRA, President, Third World Centre for Water Management, Atizapan, Mexico Abstract: The concept of integrated water resources management (IWRM) has been around for some 60 years. It was rediscovered by some in the 1990s. While at a first glance, the concept of IWRM looks attractive, a deeper analysis brings out many problems, both in concept and implementation, especially for meso- to macro-scale projects. The definition of IWRM continues to be amorphous, and there is no agreement on fundamental issues like what aspects should be integrated, how, by whom, or even if such integration in a wider sense is possible. The reasons for the current popularity of the concept are analyzed, and it is argued that in the real world, the concept will be exceedingly difficult to be made operational. Keywords: integrated water resources management, IWRM, water resources paradigm, efficient water management. Introduction The need for water is universal. It is present every- where, and without water, life, as we know it, will simply cease to exist. Water is constantly in motion, passing from one state to another, and from one location to another, which makes its rational planning and management a very com- plex and difficult task under the best of circumstances. Water may be everywhere, but its use has always been constrained in terms of availability, quantity and quality. Water problems of the world are neither homogenous, nor constant or consistent over time. They often vary very significantly from one region to another, even within a single country, from one season to another, and also from one year to another. Solutions to water problems depend not only on water availability, but also on many other factors, among which are the processes through which water is managed, competence and capacities of the institutions that manage them, prevailing socio-political conditions that dic- tate water planning, development and management pro- cesses and practices, appropriateness and implementation statuses of the existing legal frameworks, availability of investment funds, social and environmental conditions of the countries concerned, levels of available and usable tech- nology, national, regional and international perceptions, modes of governance including issues like political inter- ferences, transparency, corruption, etc., educational and development conditions, and status, quality and relevance of research that are being conducted on the national, sub- national and local water problems. Water is a resource that is of direct interest to the entire population, as well as to most ministries of develop- ment at central and state levels, municipalities, private sec- tor, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Such widespread interest is not a unique situation for water, as some water professionals have claimed: it is equally ap- plicable to other issues like food, energy, environment, health, communication, or transportation. All these types of issues command high levels of attention in modern so- cieties. In an increasingly interdependent and complex world, many issues are of pervasive interest for assuring good qual- ity of life of the people. Water is one of these important is- sues, but it is certainly not the only important issue. In recent years, it has become increasingly evident that the water problems of a country can no longer be resolved by the water professionals and/or the water min- istries alone. The water problems are becoming increas- ingly more and more interconnected with other development-related issues and also with social, economic, environmental, legal, and political factors at local and na- tional levels and sometimes at regional and even interna- tional levels. Already, many of the water problems have already become far too complex, interconnected and large

Water Forum: Integrated Water Resources Management ��� A Reassessment 249 IWRA, Water International, Volume 29, Number 2, June 2004 to be handled by any one single institution, irrespective of the authority and resources given to it, technical expertise and management capacity available, level of political sup- port, and all the good intentions (Biswas, 2001). The current and the foreseeable trends indicate that water problems of the future will continue to become in- creasingly more and more complex, and will become more and more intertwined with other development sectors like agriculture, energy, industry, transportation, and commu- nication, and with social sectors like education, environ- ment, health, and rural or regional development. The time is fast approaching when water can no longer be viewed in isolation by one institution or any one group of profes- sionals without explicit and simultaneous consideration of other related sectors and issues and vice versa. In fact, it can be successfully argued that the time has already come when water policies and major water-related issues should be assessed, analyzed, reviewed, and resolved within an overall societal and development context otherwise the main objectives of water management, such as improved standard and quality of life of the people, poverty allevia- tion, regional and equitable income distribution, and envi- ronmental conservation cannot be achieved. One of the main questions facing the water profession is how this challenge can be successfully answered in a socially-ac- ceptable and economically-efficient manner. Integrated Water Resources Management A few members of the water profession started to realize during the 1980s that the situation is not as good as they appeared. This feeling intensified during the 1990s, when many in the profession began to appreciate that the water problems have become multi-dimensional, multi- sectoral, and multi-regional and filled with multi-interests, multi-agendas, and multi-causes, and which can be resolved only through a proper multi-institutional and multi-stake- holder coordination. The issue at present, however, is not whether such a process is desirable, but rather how can this be achieved in the real world in a timely and a cost- effective manner. Faced with such unprecedented complexities, many in the profession started to look for a new paradigm for management, which will solve the existing and the fore- seeable water problems all over the world. The solution that was selected was, however, not new. It was the re- discovery of a basically more than 60-year old concept, which could not be successfully applied earlier: integrated water resources management. Many who ���discovered��� this concept were not aware that the ���new��� concept was in fact not really new, but has been around for several decades, but with a dubious record in terms of its imple- mentation, which has never been objectively, comprehen- sively, and critically assessed. Before the status of application of integrated water resources management can be discussed to make water management more efficient, an important and fundamen- tal issue that should first be considered is what precisely is meant by this concept. A comprehensive and objective assessment of the recent writings of the individuals and the institutions that are vigorously promoting integrated water resources management indicates that not only no one has a clear idea as to what exactly this concept means in operational terms, but also their views of it in terms of what it actually means and involves vary very widely. The definition that is most often quoted at present is the one that was formulated by the Global Water Partner- ship (2000), which defined it as ���a process which pro- motes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources, in order to maximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems.��� This definition, on a first reading, appears broad, all- encompassing, and impressive. However, such lofty phrases have little practical resonance on the present, or on the future water management practices. A serious and criti- cal look may remind one of the immortal writings of Will- iam Shakespeare: Polonius: ���What do you read, my lord?��� Hamlet: ���Words, words, words.��� The question then arises is whether this well-inten- tional and good-sounding definition has any real meaning in terms of its application and implementation to improve existing water management, or is it just an aggregation of trendy words which collectively provides an amorphous definition which does not help water planners and manag- ers very much in terms of actual application of the con- cept to solve the real life problems. Let us consider some of the fundamental questions that the above definition raises in terms of its possible imple- mentation in the real world, which have not been addressed to thus far: ��� ���promotes��� ��� Who promotes this concept, why should it be promoted, and through what processes? Can the promotion of an amorphous concept be enough to im- prove water management? What about its implemen- tation? ��� ���land and related resources��� ��� What is meant by ���re- lated resources���? Does it include energy, minerals, fish, other aquatic resources, forests, environment, etc.? In terms of land and agricultural resources, the water ministry mostly has no say or jurisdiction over them. Considering the intense inter-ministerial and intra-min- isterial rivalries that have always been present in all countries, how can use, development, and management of such resources be integrated, even if this was tech- nically possible? Is this realistically feasible? If the environmental and ecosystem resources are to be con- sidered, how can the water professionals and minis- tries handle such integration, which is often beyond their knowledge, expertise, and/or control? Surprisingly,