Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is recognized by the Global Water Partnership as key to sustainable water resources management world wide. It strikes a balance between safeguarding vital ecosystems and a country’s need for social and economic development, including the need to reach the Millennium Development Goals.

In many countries there is no shortage of water sector strategies. What is often lacking is an operational plan that is feasible on all fronts: technical, financial, institutional and political. Existing plans regularly show weak links with the country’s national development strategies and other sector strategies. Finance and planning ministries, sector ministries and politicians often have their own agenda and are sometimes not aware what effect their decisions have on the country’s water resources. The rising conflict between the agricultural and industrial sector is a case in point when dealing with food security on one hand and with economic progress and creating employment on the other. In some countries the growth of the service sector (tourism) and energy sector is also creating conflicts with other sectors when it comes to access to water. In developing countries especially, the explosive urban growth and hence the demand for drinking water and production of waste water is putting increasing strain on the countries’ available water resources.

The ECORYS Water Management Group helps governments in the development of fully feasible operational plans by providing advice and training for specialists and decision makers. We create capacity to develop water resource management programmes which fit the real situation of overlapping sectoral problems and to link them with national development planning processes.

For more information on the services we provides on IWRM, including project references, please follow the links below.

• Enabling environment:
  - Water and environmental policies
  - Water and environmental regulations
  - Financial structures
   
  
• Framework for implementation:
  - Institution building and social processes
  
  
• Implementation instruments:
  - Water resource management and planning
  - Financial and economic analysis
  - Information and communication
  
  

For more information, please contact:

Leo Beumer
T 0031 (0) 10 453 88 22
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