Integrated Water Resources Management in Developing Nation: Status and Challenges Toward Water Sustainability

Abstract

Water is essential for life: serving as the cradle for the origin of life and its sustenance. Even if it covers two-third of the earth, the availability of fresh water sources is limited making it a very precious resource. Rapid population growth and indiscriminate use in an unsustainable manner have led to depletion and degradation of water. Urban infrastructure and development pace led to indiscriminate consumption of water which has made water scarce. There is a lot of scope in urban space to restrict wasteful use and enhance the reuse and recycling of water for achieving zero water wastage. The principles of integrated water resource management (IWRM) when applied effectively can solve the water crisis in major parts of the world and help us transit toward a greener economy and environmental governance. In this chapter, the evolution of IWRM as a concept has been discussed and its application in managing water in developing nations to achieve sustainability. The procedure for carrying out IWRM has also been elaborated. There is an analysis of how the IWRM model helped in achieving the goal of effective water governance and Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) implementation. In this chapter, the status of the implementation of IWRM in developing countries has been analyzed. There is also discussion on challenges in achieving SDG 6 and the way forward.